Creature Of Habit: Starbucks In The Morning

I know what you are gonna say. Starbucks, really? You are writing about the food? Yes...in fact I am. Sometimes it's the little things in life. I have always loved the mix of yogurt, granola and fruit in the morning but often when you buy some that has already been prepared the granola is all soggy and mushy. There's no way I am not going to put it all in separate containers and bring it to work with me either (even though that would save some money). I love my Strawberry & Blueberry Yogurt Parfait from Starbucks every morning, taking out the separated granola and mixing it all together. It's fun! And all for only $3.45, plus the $2.50 for my venti Pikes Place Roast. Right there at the corner of 19th and Park, sitting with my coffee and yogurt parfait, reading my Daily News ignoring those all around, including the pleasant staff who try to befriend me to no avail. All I am interested in is the parfait with it's extra crunchy bits combined with the juicy blueberries and strawberries, it's an explosion of fruitiness! Honestly it's a bit small and often I am still hungry afterwards...hmmm maybe I should just eat less? What a thought. So the next time you are in a Starbucks, and you know you will be, please give the Yogurt Parfait a try. However not all Starbucks serve the same items in every location, a fact I learned when I grabbed a parfait at the Vegas airport only to discover that it was only pretending to be the yogurt, berry and granola blend that I was used to. You have been warned.

Stuff White People Like

Hmmm...curious title eh? That's what I thought when a friend of mine from Texas told me that I should read this book. I was like..."Ummm I am not so sure about this, do you realize I live in NYC?" I said before actually taking a look at it. What I found after perusing a few pages was a hilarious take on a certain group of white people that I somewhat fit into, ok I really fit into. Stuffwhitepeoplelike.com is where this all started as a blog by a guy named Christian Lander after a discussion he had with a friend about the HBO show The Wire. The discussion centered around the fact that his friend couldn't trust any white person who didn't watch the show and wondered aloud what could they possibly be doing if they weren't in front of their TV's watching it. Some of the guesses were...divorcing, therapy, yoga or going to plays. Thus Christian began the blog with this general idea and now 80 million hits and a best seller later, Stuff White People Like is now internationally known. Now the reason I thought it important to post this on my food blog was because food is a common theme in Christian's book and thought anyone would get a kick out of it by comparing themselves to what you place importance on. Some examples are as follows:

#1 Coffee

#5 Farmers Markets

#6 Organic Food

#13 Tea

#23 Microbreweries

#24 Wine (Cheese is at a ridiculous #145)

#32 Veganism/Vegetarianism

#34 Brunch

#42 Sushi

#45 Asian Fusion Food

#48 Whole Foods and Grocery Co-ops

#63 Expensive Sandwiches (Possibly my #1, in food terms)

#117 Premium Juice

#137 Eating Outside

#143 Bakeries

#145 Cheese

Regardless of where you rank the stuff you like, you will certainly get a kick out of reading this book and it will be something to share with your friends as well, of course after you explain the meaning of the title as to avoid any further awkwardness. Be sure to check out the website for new entries to find out what new things white people are liking these days...

Dinner With The Family At 86 Fu Kee Restaurant in Brooklyn

My constant search for delicious eats in NYC is a daunting task often times travelling far and wide for a meal to enjoy. Sometimes the actual journey can be a determining factor on whether or not that meal is actually enjoyable but certainly doesn't deter me from doing what I love. So when my wife told me we would be dining with the In-Laws in Brooklyn the other night I thought...what a great opportunity to blog about a traditional Chinese restaurant. What I mean by traditional is that it hasn't been Americanized for the general public and caters mostly to the Chinese people in that area. Usually they have terrible service, overcrowded dining areas, little to no English is spoken and often they push you out the door when it's time to go. It's not all that bad, especially since my In-Laws are Chinese making it ok for me to eat there. On this particular night I hopped on the N train after work, headed out to Bay Ridge and was told by my wife to get off at Bay Parkway because the restaurant was nearby. As I was crossing the Manhattan Bridge on the train a message popped up on my phone telling me that the restaurant was at 86th Street and that it was just a short walk to meet them. Little did I know that the short little walk turned out to be 20 blocks (which for the layman is about 1 mile, give or take) and when I arrived nearly everyone had finished their meal! Fortunately there was plenty left for me to eat, so after drinking a tall glass of water and a spot of tea, I dug in.

What's always amusing about eating with the In-Laws is that no matter what restaurant we go to, no matter where it is, whether it's in Brooklyn or Manhattan, they always order the same dishes. Lobster, Fried Pork Chops, Shrimp in Sauce with Broccoli, Sauteed Eggplant, Shark Fin Soup and a Cold Roasted Chicken. Sounds like a lot but usually there's enough people at the table to finish it all. These restaurants also prefer to serve large groups or parties over six, so plan on a long wait if you show up with less. Now to the food. Other than the Soup and the Eggplant, I very much enjoyed the other dishes. The Lobster was my favorite with it's distinct seasoning and flavor but was also the most messy. The Pork Chops were very crunchy and delicious but had almost been finished before I got there, so there were only a couple of pieces for me. The Shrimp and Broccoli was a little rich with it's creamy white sauce but as usual that didn't stop me. I also love the sugary walnuts that accompany this dish and so do my kids. One good thing about me not being able to understand Chinese is that I don't have to listen to all the complaints at the table and believe me there's always complaints. They always complain about the service and yet still tip fairly well. Usually there's a discussion about one of the dishes being subpar, at least to them and they say have had better. My question is why not go to the place where it is better? Funny thing is there is a great restaurant pretty much down the block from where they live and yet we travelled across the borough just to come to this place....to eat the same damn dishes we always get. Makes no sense to me but my wife says that's the way it's always been. I also very much enjoy when the check arrives to watch as everyone fights over who is going to pay, except me of course because I don't speak Cantonese. Whew!

Go Burger Truck: A Great Piece Of Meat

Yummy. Who doesn't love a really good hamburger? Vegetarians I guess. Now appearing in the summer street fairs accross the city is the new GO Burger truck (by BLT Restaurants) serving up fantastically delicious burgers, fries and hotdogs. I was very intrigued the other day as I made my way through the throngs of folks at a street fair on Broadway in the 20's, to find a large white truck that looked like it didn't belong. I was only out to buy a ridiculously large bag of the best kettle corn in the city for my wife, but the allure of the smokey deliciousness emanating from the truck was way to powerful and I broke down. To say broke down is a very poor description of what happened. I bought The Classic cheeseburger and fries and hurriedly ran back to work and, as per my m.o., stuffed it down my throat like a cheetah eating a gazelle (blatant exaggeration). Their 100% Certified Black Angus beef burgers are a combination of sirloin, short rib, chuck and brisket cut and are served on a semi-toasted bun. The burger is topped off with red onions, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and a sauce that seemed like thousand island dressing so no ketchup was needed. The burger had a very peppery flavor to it as well which was a pleasant surprise and really combined well with all the ingredients for a great burger experience. The fries were also very tasty in their small little paper sack. The Go Burger truck is a great addition to the average street fair choices and honestly was not at all expensive comparatively speaking. Basically about $10 bucks and way better quality than most of it's fellow participants, for instance the ridiculously large bag of kettle corn goes for $9 bucks. Check out their website, http://www.goburger.com/, to see their menu and find out where the truck will be stationed this weekend.

NYC Street Fair's: A Summer Tradition

Long a tradition in NYC, Street fairs are a great way to waste some time during a weekend if the weather is accomodating. Now I am not talking about the Feast of San Gennaro on Mulberry Street that runs for two weeks in September, that is an over crowded fair that I try to avoid. I am talking about the run-of-the-mill fair's that happen to pop-up when you least expect them especially when you need to drive across town thru one of them. Actually Time Out NY has a weekly schedule of fair's listed on their website (http://www.newyork.timeout.com/) so you can plan ahead. Usually I stroll thru smelling the different food choices, trying to find something to eat that is different from the last fair I attended. The classic choice is the sausage and peppers carts with smoke and steam spreading the delicious aroma that you just can't avoid. Some of the other choices include: Gyro's, Kebabs, Tacos, Empanadas, Arepas, Corn on the Cob, Kettle Corn and more. A strange addition to me has been the Crepes booth's that I am now seeing at most fairs. I don't know why this is so weird to me but it just is. Be prepared to spend a little extra for the food choices, which is the norm for these events. Just remember though that we are not talking about fine cuisine here and that you could probably get any of these foods within a block of the fair. It's NYC afterall. Soon I will be blogging about of the couple of choices I made at the last fair I attended, stay tuned.

Food News: La Esquina/The Corner Closed By NYC (Updated 5/12)

This is a bit of a shocker. One of my favorite restaurants in the city, La Esquina/The Corner, has just been cited for safety violations and shut down by the city of New York until the necessary fixes are made. It's seems to be an unusual situation in that the city inspectors are saying that the restaurant does not provide proper egress for customers and staff referring to a stairwell that leads to the basement. Plus they said that their wood ceiling is flammable. What's most curious is that back in 2005 the city approved the plans for this construction as well as approving a slight remodel in 2008. Hmmm makes you wonder why suddenly the city would change it's tune? Perhaps it's because of the city's budget crisis? And what better way then to bridge that gap then to squeeze some money out of a very popular restaurant. Personally I think it's disgusting. The inspectors who approved the original plans should be held accountable and fired, it's their fault, not the restaurants.

Update 5/12 5:14pm:
I am very happy to report that the city's building inspectors have given the ok to let La Esquina re-open for dinner tonight. Thank goodness, now I can order some Tacos for lunch tomorrow. Whew!

May Wah or Wah Mei...Whatever, It's Amazing!

Sometimes a picture is not worth a thousand words after all, but what's important here is how it tastes and not how it looks. Take my word for it. Another spot where you need to know someone before you go, May Wah (or Wah Mei which it says on the awning) is a true hole in the wall that you will not soon forget. Usually very warm and stuffy, the restaurant (if you can call it that) serves up it's fine food at a very rapid pace. There are a few stools to sit down at but I highly recommend taking it to go otherwise you will smell like the place even after a shower. You also need to know what to order because not much english is spoken, not to worry. To me there is only one choice on the menu. Fried Chicken or Pork Chop over White Rice with Special Sauce, Pickled Veggies and a Marinated Hard Boiled Egg...yeah it didn't sound too good to me at first either. I really have no idea what's in the special sauce, nor do I want to know, but the smell and the taste is intoxicating. You will know when you are close because of the smell, it's unbelievable how far reaching it is, I swear I can smell it five blocks away. It smells so good. Admittedly I am not a hard boiled egg eater and still don't eat them outside of this dish but there's something about this egg combined with everything else. I like chopping it up and mixing it in with the sauce and the rice and the veggies. It's all about the textures here. The chicken is succulent and flavorful, not your typical fried chicken because there is no breading applied thankfully. For only $5 bucks it's a filling meal that will have you coming back for more. I also suggest buying a couple extra to put in your fridge for a later date, it's great to bring to work for lunch the next day. May Wah (Wah Mei) is located at 190 Hester Street, not to be confused with May-Wah Healthy Vegetarian just down the block.