THE COMMENTCARD

the cabin: minnesota

homegrown

eggs from the chickens; garden strawberries squished into jam; garden carrots, potatoes, onions and kale stewed up with plums and local beef; blueberries whipped into muffins straight from moma’s pantry, likewise the birthplace of thick whole wheat bread, russian teacakes, ginger snaps, ginger bread, peanut butter stars, and be-sprinkled white roll-outs; venison/pork sausage from the local butcher, venison harvested on cabin property. 

homebrewed

surly furious, brewed in minneapolis, minnesota 

allswell

the spotted pig’s even countrier cousin, allswell basks in the glory of april bloomfields west village success. but it’s less quaint, more brooklyn, and less delicious. 

spiced brisket with horse radish & duck fat potatoes: this meltingly-juicy meat, earthy, spicy horseradish and rich, crispy potatoes is a welcome tradition. easily the night’s best plate. 

smoked trout pate: more tuna than trout, more melt than pate, this $12 snack could be easily replicated with a $2 chicken of the sea. 

surryano ham with radicchio & almonds: a perfect american ham (surryano = american serrano), salty and sweet, layered with crunchy radicchio and toasted almonds. small but perfect. 

chartreuse manhattan: a booze-forward cocktail, the sniff & sip will knock you out but the full flavor of a nutty manhattan will bring you back. cherries are a dark, sweet counterpart. 

ba xuyen

i’m sure the vietnamese would agree: there are three categories by which to judge the best banh mi. 

1) bread

2) pate

3) veggies

the bread with the crispiest crust and the tenderest insides, the spiciest, strangest-textured (but still swallowable!) pate, and the pickled-est, crunchiest veggies are all found in brooklyn’s chinatown.  it’s cheap, the red tables are slimy, and vietnamese men with missing fingers sip thick coffee in the sunshine. the spring rolls are .50 and very fried; the summer rolls are fresher. ba xuyen’s peanut butter sauce must be eaten with their coffee.

peep the hong kong supermarket on 8th avenue for iffy fish, phenomenal veg, and pop into any store up and down the block for bulk ginseng and teas for all that ails you. 

motorino

a small spot smelling of freshly baked, brown-on-the-bubbles crust and melting mozzarella. expect classic wood-fired new york pizza; there’s nothing avante-garde on the menu. brussels sprouts and pancetta, four cheeses, and the margherita, but all of it quality, fresh, and hot. even the plain mixed green salad was surprisingly fresh and cleansing. one drawback: slightly undercooked (raw brussel sprouts are proof) = weak, soggy crust. 

the l’asso 2012 pizza calendar: get em while they’re hot.

how to peel a whole clove of garlic in 10 seconds.

the meatball shop

nick: jingle balls and juniper berry sauce on a hero with mozzarella. the dark venison-pork jingle balls played well with tangy-pine juniper berries; tender, chewy il forno baguette soaked up the sauce. crunchy-clean arugula side salad with sliced apples to spice and cleanse.

rachel: everything but the kitchen sink salad. spicy, tender pork meatballs, rich and chunky parmesano reggiano pesto sauce. homey, satisfying combination. bed of cucumber, slightly slimy; pickled beet, perfect; hummus, thick and tahini-heavy. fresh, clean, crunchy arugula.

dessert: espresso ice cream topped with a peanut butter cookie and bottomed with a ginger snap. not quite chewy enough in the cookie, ice cream grainy and lumpy-ish. but: terrific coffee flavor and color; distinctly peanut and ginger flavored cookies.

the feast of the seven fishes: festa dei sette pesci

ages ago, italians thought it would be nice if everyone stopped eating meat and milky things while they waited for baby jesus to get born. instead they stuffed each person with seven fishes, because seven is the perfect number, and fish are delicious. the gallo family vigil, cheffed and imagined by kathy and ron gallo (ron of jean george’s jojo), included spicy meatballs and fresh mozzarella, because kathy and ron’s meatballs and mozzarella are so good it’s an insult to baby jesus not to eat them.  

0. no-tahini hummus + pesto

0. ground turkey swedish meatballs spiced with nutmeg & allspice with homemade ribboned pickles

0. caramelized onion, bacon, and goat cheese pizza

0. fresh mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, black pepper

1. raw tuna in ginger-chili-soy marinade, daikon radish slivers, mashed avocado

2. fried crabcake with papaya mustard sauce and japanese radish, mustard microgreens

3. salmon trapped with chanterelle, oyster & hen mushrooms, locked up in a pastry shell

4. lobster claw, tail 5. scallops 6. razor clams : in saffron broth with spherical veg (carrot, zucchini, cucumber)

7. baked sea bass, hot arugula, chopped olive and tomato