THIS is New York at its best. I have often felt that NYC is a place where the extraordinary is common and the ordinary is uncommon. And, of course, the extraordinary is what makes it great to live here and why visitors love it. Sometimes it feels like there’s something extraordinary to be discovered around every corner. Like the Dessert Truck on the street selling gourmet pastries – for $5 each. No need to go into an expensive restaurant and sit down. What could be better? I was completely unaware of this until a few days ago, when two friends introduced me to it. Amazingly, it is only a few blocks from my home, yet I never really noticed it. They are located at 8th Street and University Place and are open 6 nights per week.

The desserts are awesome – they are made by Jerome Chang, a former pastry chef at Le Cirque and grad of the French Culinary Institute. He is partnered with Chris Chen, a Columbia business school grad. “One night, we randomly made the caramelized banana sandwich with sea salt — no recipe,” Mr. Chen said. “It turned out to be amazing, and both of us thought that this was something we could sell on the street.” You can find things like molten chocolate cake with liquid ganache center and sea salt, roasted pistachios, and “a hint of olive oil”; apples and cinnamon with cranberries in a crisp, puff pastry with streusel and whipped cream, chocolate bread pudding; and crème brûlée made with Madagascar vanilla beans and freshly burned sugar.

You can read all about them here at their website – there are photos of the desserts, press articles, menu, hours, etc. Bon appetit…

Relate Posting: Street Cuisine

When you step inside The Grey Dog, your first reaction may be to step out. This place will most likely be teeming with people, have a line for for placing orders, few (if any) tables available, and loud. Why should you stay and why would I recommend it? Because the food is very good. And once you’ve settled in, the mayhem recedes as you focus on your meal. You start thinking this place is not that bad once you staked out your territory. What was annoying starts feeling like exuberant festiveness. Everyone seems happy and life is good.

Finding casual places to eat with no table service and good food is not easy anywhere. The Grey Dog is technically a coffeehouse, and they are known for their coffee. However, the food menu is quite extensive – ideal for breakfast, brunch, or lunch, but I have had dinner here as well. The prices may appear a tad high for the type of place, but the portions are large, typically with sides, and made with high-quality ingredients. The atmosphere is cozy, woodsy, New England with nautical accents – oars above the windows and a row of buoys outdoors below the front window. More photos here. When the weather is warm, the front windows are open, and a table there is quite pleasant. A wooden bench outdoors provides a place for customers as well as passersby to rest or eat, as well as a good spot for dog spotting.

Don’t be daunted by the lines – they move more quickly than expected. Place your order at the counter, grab a table, and when your order is ready, someone will come out, call your name, and deliver your food. And through some miracle, you always seem to get a seat…

NOTE: The Grey Dog was created in 1996. It was named after Moose and Goose, the owners’ two labrador retrievers – one white, the other black. The location in the photo is the original at 33 Carmine Street in the Village (Update 1/17/12: Now closed). A second location recently opened at 90 University Place.

If you have read the Time Machine by H.G. Wells or seen the movie adaptation, you may recall a recurring part of the story: George watching the change of women’s fashion on a mannequin in the window of a dress shop across the street as he travels through time. He finds the whimsy of change and cycles of fashion amusing.

Living in NYC is just like this. In the 1980s, we had numerous small indoor roller skating rinks during the height of disco. There was a gelati craze for a brief time, with the opening of numerous gelateria. Many of these were beautifully designed, and the products in the places I visited were excellent. Yet they have all closed. We also saw Steve’s ice cream, known for their customized mix-ins – customers enjoyed the theater of the mixing. One of the best ice creams I have had was Custard Beach, with locations in the Village and World Financial Center, now closed.

Now we have a frozen yogurt/desert revival, with Pinkberry and Red Mango across the street from each other on Bleecker Street and Yolato around the corner (update: Pinkberry on Bleecker Street has since closed.).
Pinkberry, based in Los Angeles, was started in 2005 by South Koreans Hyekyung (Shelly) Hwang and partner Young Lee. It is already a roaring success  with a cult following and tales of parking congestion at the original West Hollywood store (read the story here). The product is an upscale, healthy frozen desert in just two flavors (original and green tea). It is low-cal, low-sugar, and nonfat, with a distinct tang. Fresh cut fruit toppings are available.

Pinkberry’s interior appears to be part of a trend towards an Asian-styled, clinical, futuristic store design. Partner Young Lee has appointed the stores with Philippe Starck furniture and Le Klint plastic hanging lamps from Design Within Reach. I expect to see Teletubbies in the line. There is controversy surrounding Pinkberry and how it closely resembles Red Mango, a Korean frozen yogurt chain with 150 stores. And, of course, the phenomenon has spawned competitors: BerryLine, Yo Berry, Kiwiberri, Snowberry, Roseberry, Berri Good, Limelite, etc. Only a time machine will tell the future of this craze…

There are neighborhood restaurants that seem to have been around forever and yet are rarely mentioned and infrequently reviewed. They exist quietly, like the Tiro A Segno New York Rifle Club that fascinated me for decades. Or the missionary union in Manhattan that has not had one article written about it yet – when I catch a friar on camera entering or leaving, you’ll be the first to see it.

Rocco Ristorante at 181 Thompson Street is a vintage home-style Italian restaurant founded by Rocco Stanziano in 1922 – 85 years must mean something. I have not eaten there yet, but the reviews are quite favorable, even from newer online sites such as yelp.com. It’s just not glamorous, trendy, or chic. Old, historic business establishments go down different roads. Some maintain quality but raise prices substantially as they become real legacy businesses. Others just sell out and become money machines without any regard for quality (frequently cutting costs by outsourcing); sometimes entire towns become tourist traps with businesses like this, such as Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Some catch a trend and reinvent themselves, like Astor Place Haircutters. And then there are those places that are sleepy backwaters, just doing things the same way, patronized by customers who like it exactly the way it is. Slow and steady wins the race…

What’s better than soup on a cold winter’s day? Not much, as you can see by the line at the Soup Kiosk, which adjoins and is associated with the historic Fanelli Cafe at 94 Prince Street in SoHo. As we tire of the same choices for lunch, street food becomes a good choice – fast, inexpensive (relatively), and often fresh, home-cooked, and delicious. My first thoughts when I became acquainted with this place were of the classic Seinfeld skit “The Soup Nazi.” This notion was quickly quelled after sampling the food and pleasant manner of Eunique, who works the kiosk (see here). The kiosk offers a range of several soups, chili (including vegetarian), and beverages.

Having soup as a meal brings back memories of the Campbell Soup Company slogans “Never Underestimate the Power of Soup” and “Mmmm mmm good.” The power of soup was apparent when even Andy Warhol could not limit the fame of his art piece, Campbell’s Soup Cans, to 15 minutes. When Campbell’s was inducted into the Marketing Hall of Fame in 1994, the judges said, “Campbell’s has transcended the soup category to become a symbol of American hearth, home and values.” I think these associations are a credit to soup itself as much as it is to Campbell’s, although they are to be applauded for promoting a healthy meal concept.

Apparently in the early years of the company’s history, soup was not popular here in the USA as it was in Europe. I know it’s heretical to drag in Campbell’s canned, condensed soups in a piece about the merits of fresh, homemade soup. But just thinking about soup conjures up a whole world of memories – comfort food nonpareil, a wholesome and for many, a simpler life…

See these related postings: Speedy Gonzalez, NY Dosas

On February 19, 2007, I posted on one of my favorite dishes – Ful Mudammas – made by First Oasis Restaurant at 9218 Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where I travel to get it. The owner/chef, Said Albahari from Syria, previously owned Magic Carpet Restaurant on Carmine Street in Manhattan for over 20 years, where I was a regular customer from its early days. At the time, I was a strict vegetarian. Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine quickly became favorites; both have some extremely good vegetable dishes. I have generally found vegetarian fare from an ethnic restaurant to be much tastier than meals from vegetarian restaurants, where the food is driven more by the dietary restrictions. Ethnic restaurants, on the other hand, have a real culinary tradition behind them, with a creative use of spices, condiments, and unique preparations.

However, even in NYC, authentic Middle Eastern food is not that common. The cuisine is perhaps a little too exotic for the average American palate. A perusal of Middle Eastern restaurant listings shows mostly falafel/shawarma type places. Many of the better places are found in the outer boroughs, where there are neighborhoods with concentrations of various ethnic groups and their attendant restaurants. One of my favorite meals is Ouzi, shown in the photo upper left. This is absolutely delicious, with raisins, nuts, vegetables, and rice in a phylo pastry dough, served with a yogurt sauce (meat and vegetarian versions are available). Moustache in Manhattan also serves ouzi.

First Oasis is very authentic, with an extensive menu of Middle Eastern specialties such as kebabs, mussaka, kebbeh, labneh, hummus, baba ghanuj, stuffed grape leaves, tabuleh, seafood, traditional desserts (halavah, baloza, baklawa, ladyfinger), and beverages (tamarind). The owner takes his cooking seriously – dishes are made from scratch. The food is excellent and inexpensive. Highly recommended…

Interesting Note: I discussed the dearth of Ouzi and Ful with the chef from Olive Tree Cafe. His feeling was that customers were too unfamiliar with these dishes and would not order them. In the case of Ful, the cooks made in regularly for themselves in the kitchen.

Interesting Anecdote: During one of my last meals I had in Magic Carpet in the Village before it closed, I was accompanied by Sarah Jessica Parker (of Sex in the City fame) at a nearby table. According to the staff, she was a regular, getting deliveries frequently (she lived around the corner). One of her last comments during the meal was enthusiastic: “This food is delicious.”

Photo Note: At the top from left to right: Vegetable Ouzi, Spinach Pie, Ful Mudammas.

Boyd is a tiny Thai restaurant at 210 Thompson Street in the center Village. After my meal there last night with a friend, I spoke to the owner, who was most cordial, and gave him my NYDP card. Owner/chef Boyd has had previous restaurant experience; he owned a restaurant in Thailand prior to coming to the US and has worked in Thai restaurants in NYC, including the well-known, stylish Planet Thailand in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In the last year I have been eating there, I have found the food consistently excellent and the staff to be attentive and friendly. Reviews in publications such as MenuPages, Timeout New York, Yelp, and New York Magazine are overwhelmingly positive.

One thing that stands out about this place is the creative flair they bring to the menu offerings, going beyond the standard Thai fare with dishes like Chile Crusted Tuna with Grape Asparagus Curry, Tuna and Mango Salad, and Roasted Duck with Avocado Orange Salad. I love the exotic spices and use of tropical fruits such as papaya, mango, tamarind, lime, coconut, avocado, orange, pineapple, and lychee. The cuisine is seafood oriented, but there are plenty of Thai standards (like Pad Thai), curries, and vegetarian entrees. There are also many nice small touches (like the dinnerware) all too uncommon in places in this price range – most inexpensive restaurants tend to treat dining in a very utilitarian manner. There are Early Bird specials before 7 PM – a full dinner with appetizers for only $9.95/$10.95. A real find…

It’s always a pleasant surprise to do research for an article not knowing what to expect and to find that there is a really interesting story behind something that, on first glance, appeared to be relatively ordinary. You could argue that one can find something of interest in everything and that a great writer can make perspiration riveting, but I think ordinary mortals would agree that some things are just inherently more interesting than others. Like teany.

Teany is a beverage company – many who live in the NYC area are probably familiar with their tea/juice products, as they are widely distributed in the New York and New Jersey area. Teany is also a small tea house and restaurant, shown in the photo, at 90 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side. The company was started in 2002 by Kelly Tisdale and musician Moby (they were boyfriend/girlfriend at the time). The shop offers 98 varieties of loose tea and vegan food (Kelly is vegetarian, Moby is vegan). Moby, who started his recording career as a techno artist, has a certain mystique and cultish following. It reminds me of the aura around David Bowie, who, coincidentally, lived across the street from Moby in Little Italy for a decade.

Moby (Richard Melville Hall) was born in Harlem and brought up in Darien, CT – a startling contrast, with Darien and the neighboring communities of Connecticut being some of the wealthiest in the country. Never surprising when a life of privilege leads to rebellion – Moby was in a hardcore punk band in the early 1980s called the Vatican Commandos. Read Moby’s bio on his website here. His name, by the way, was a nickname given to him by his parents, referencing the novel Moby Dick, written by Herman Melville, his great-great-great-great uncle. Rumors of the closing of the tea shop in 2006 turned out to be untrue. There was, however, a business change with a focus more on teas and less on food and Kelly taking full ownership of the company…

Note about the company name: The company proclaims that “you can pronounce it however you like. tea-knee. tee-nee. tea-enn-why,” and that Moby and Kelly themselves pronounce it “teenie,” because they are “small,” both in stature and in status.