February, 2010 -

by gansie

The Snow Five

It’s funny in DC. People are freaking the fuck out about this snow. Granted, local weather makers claim this “snowmageddon” will be historic with accumulation reaching two feet. And in dorky DC fashion, there’s even the self-important, self-deprecating website: Snowpocalypse.

Well, to be fair, a plain clothes-ed cop whipped out his gun at a snow ball fight last time we found flakes falling from the sky.

Anyway, 80 and I were contemplating our needs for a possible (and historic for us!) second grocery store run of the week. I thought about what my cravings would be over a weekend of drinking and sledding. And that’s when I knew I could survive on 5 things.

Sure, I didn’t want to and 80 and I both ended up venturing to the store. He bought milk, bagels, beer and wine. I bought two sweet potatoes, two buttercup squashes, a pound of mixed, salted nuts and a crate of clementines. But all I really needed was…

by BS

NYC Tour De Poutine

It was during a visit to Montreal some eight years ago that I first discovered the glory that is poutine. This French Canadian specialty is a heart-stopping, gut-busting treat that somehow manages to out-America American food, topping crispy French fries with mounds of fresh cheese curds and thick brown gravy. Delicious. Frightening. Genius.

The dish is so popular Up North that it’s even served at McDonald’s in Montreal. Now it’s quickly proliferating New York restaurant menus and appears set to become the next Bahn Mi/Fried Chicken/obsessive over-the-top comfort food trend. So I set out to explore every New York restaurant currently serving poutine. With a little (OK, a lot) of help from some friends, I’m delighted to share this exhaustive report, along with the news that my internal organs appear to still be intact…for now.

Drunken Poutine: T Poutine

The first NYC shop to make poutine the focus of their menu, this Lower East Side newcomer sees Canada’s challenge and raises it, offering artery-clogging options like the steakhouse poutine (topped with caramelized onions, blue cheese and thinly sliced steak) and the morning glory poutine (applewood smoked bacon and sunnyside up egg). The gravy (which also comes in a veggie version) is nothing to write home about, but this party-area spot, which is BYOB and open til 5am on weekends, is more about the alcohol-soaking extras. You can ramp your poutines up even further with add-ons like Essex pickles and panko fried cheese curds. 168 Ludlow Street, $7.25 – $9.50

Update: T Poutine has sadly closed

Everything Poutine: Corner Burger

After returning from an eye-opening holiday trip to Montreal, the owners of this Park Slope burger and sandwich shop have updated their menu with an astounding 13 varieties of poutine. The Americanized takes—pepperoni, mozzarella and marinara make up the “pizza poutine”—are in our opinion unnecessary, but Corner Burger hits a home run with the hearty classic versions, such as “poutine galvaude,” a popular Quebecois take that adds shredded chicken and peas to the standard dish, which features a delicious housemade chicken gravy. 381 5th Avenue, Brooklyn. $6 – $7.50

Extra Cheese Poutine: Dive Bar

This long-standing Upper West Side establishment has been serving poutine for years, and there’s nothing fancy or inventive about their take. (The bartender found it hilarious/adorable that I wanted to take a photo.) The possibly canned gravy is mediocre, but as you can see that’s not really the emphasis here. Dive Bar wins the most-cheese-curds-for-your-dollar award by a long shot, and gets extra props for the fact that the extra-crispy fries hold up well under all that weight. 732 Amsterdam Avenue, $8.

Next: The poutine only gets crazier…

by gansie

A Half Stick of Butter Makes the Pasta Go Down

DC has been pummeled with snow this season and it’s not stopping. In fact, we’re supposed to get hit this Friday and again on Tuesday. Like the good weather tracker that he is, 80 went to the store days before casual weather watchers panic for milk and bread and eggs.

Unlike me, he came home with hardly any fresh produce (although to his credit, they didn’t have my requests: brussels sprouts and winter squash and he’s not known to go off script). When I got home from the DC Food Blogger Happy Hour (DC is so dorky!) he showed off his new items, especially his Ken’s Lite Caesar dressing. But I scanned for our pending dinner, particularly noting the four sticks of butter.

And even though I dined on noodles for lunch with Tim, I couldn’t resist the ease of a quick pasta dish for dinner.

in Cheese / Recipe / Veggie 3 comments

by tvff

Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Tater Tats

The latest and greatest news about celebrity chefs, served up buffet style.

– The Bleep Bloop crew takes on the Iron Chef video game. The winner? Apparently, companies that make cheap attachments for your Wiimote.

– I think we can safely say: Food tattoos are rarely a good idea. Yes, that is Eric Ripert.

After the jump…the Food Network Empire keeps growing and it’s getting HOT in here.

in Celebs / TV 0 comments

by gansie

Find THAT in the Store

In Florida a few weeks ago 80P and I ate dinner at my aunt and uncle’s place. It was a classic simple dinner of grilled salmon (coated with a spicy rub), grilled summer squash, couscous and a large green salad served with a few options of bottled store-bought dressing.

80 later commented how he would “eat a salad every night if we had some creamy dressings in the fridge.”

I gave him a skeptical look and he immediately mocked my go-to dressing: extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. “That’s not a dressing. It’s oil,” he inserted before I was able to defend my healthy and less expensive alternative to buttermilk ranch.

I wouldn’t let him just go out and buy dressing though. I first had to prove I could make what he wanted, if I wanted to.

in Recipe 7 comments

by BS

Crafty Photo of the Day

Spotted discarded on a stoop last Saturday morning.

Natty Bo + Duct Tape + Natty Light.

Hope someone has this patented.

in Drinks / Photos 3 comments

by gansie

The Answer’s in the Oil

I’ll fucking fry it.

Of course that is what I should be doing with my leftover cottage cheese.

After my recent discovery of this cheese curd mixture, or whatever cottage cheese is, I became obsessed with figuring out ways to use it. My first attempt — a cottage cheese sandwich — tasted fine. It was simple, but fairly original (according to those with cottage cheese histories).

But I then had a tub of that leftover. It was too tangy to eat by the spoonful so I had to disguise it. I flirted with many recipes: enchiladas, kugel, or simple scrambled eggs. But I wanted something fun. Something I could create with the ingredients already in my apartment.

Oil! I always have oil. I also had the blackest black (sounds like a mascara, huh?) plantains that I immediately had to fry or else throw out. I pretended the cottage cheese was queso fresco and warmed up some oil.

in Cheese / Veggie 9 comments

February 2010

Drunken Poutine: T Poutine

Everything Poutine: Corner Burger

Extra Cheese Poutine: Dive Bar