BZ Grill
27-02 Astoria Blvd.
Astoria, NY 11102

The best gyro this side of the Aegean located where else but in Astoria Queens.  Gyros are everywhere from suspect midnight street cart vendors to Jersey diners to greasy late night pizza shops; I’ve tried them all.  BZ Grill’s gyro is the closest thing to what you will find in Athens without the $800 plane ticket.  While the gyro is the star of the show, everything else on the menu just adds to the glorious (and affordable) meal.

Fries Greek style with crumbled feta and oregano

A proper Greek salad (Horiatiki ensalada)

How great can a salad be you ask?  Despite it’s simple ingredients, it is not easy to get right.  The freshness and crisp texture of a good Greek salad only complements the rest of the meal of  bread, grilled meats, fish, etc.  The horiatiki ensalada is very good:  fresh vegetables with ripe tomatoes, a good feta that isn’t too salty, and a smooth red vinegar without too much bite.  Notice there is no lettuce.  Yes sir, this salad is well balanced and should always accompany whatever you order.

Ponder Pork Perfection

“That don’t look like no gyro,” you might say but this is how a gyro is made in Greece.  Layers of marinated pork are stacked on a spit and cooked on a vertical rotisserie until charred and and then shaved off.  Saying the greenish brown “lamb cylinder” normally seen here in the States is a gyro (pronounced yee-roh) is like calling Spam an aged prime porter house.  Like the salad dressing, the tzatziki (yogurt sauce) tastes dead on.  Thick cool greek yogurt with garlic that is not too heavy. Order at least two pork gyros, one for now and one for the road.

BZ salad (not on the menu)

The Good
The gyro and BZ mixed grill, a platter of grilled meats and Cypriot sausage.
Good sized portions at a reasonable price.

The Bad
It’s all the way in Astoria, not good for the pilgrims from Jersey.

The Ugly
The food coma that follows after eating all that salad, fries, and grilled meat.  Bring a tic-tac or two.

All smiles after a great lunch

Greeks unite!

Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington St.
New York, NY 10002

I’ll make this short and sweet and say Sugar Sweet was okay. I always measure a cupcake shop by its Red Velvet and their “Sexy Red Velvet” just wasn’t. Maybe I just have a problem with their “moose” frosting which tastes like butter. I did however, like their “Ooey Gooey” and thought it was better than their other chocolate cupcake, the “Bob”, which has a hint of almond in the frosting.

But at $1.50, these cupcakes are probably the most bang for your buck anywhere. I heard the pistachio cupcake and banana pudding are good and I’d like to try their pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese frosting next time.

Good: They’re not overpriced and it is a cute little cozy shop that almost makes you want to sit on their retro sofa chair and sing, “Won’t you be my neighbor?”, as you take off your shoes one at a time.

Bad: The “moose” frosting which is what they use on most cupcakes, is too buttery for my taste.

Ugly: Nothing, if you like wallpaper from the 60s and 70s.

-teeth

Intelligentsia NY Coffee Lab
594 Broadway, Suite 909A
New York, NY 10012

IntelligentsiaCoffee

By cupping, I don’t mean that ancient Chinese practice of applying heating cups on your back to heal your ailments. Coffee cupping is like wine tasting, but with coffee.  After visiting the Intelligentsia cafe by Millennium Park during the Taste of Chicago Food Festival, I was eager to visit their NY Lab.

I dragged myself to the $10, one-hour cupping class on Halloween morning to see what it had to offer. It had eight spots open but my date and I were the only ones who came since I suppose everyone else in the city was prepping for Halloween.   It made for a much more cozy atmosphere where we asked all the questions we wanted and I took the liberty to take just as many photos.

Our barista/professor was Ramine (spelling?!), a pretty laid-back guy who owns a coffee shop in Brooklyn. After some small talk over coffee, he laid out four cups of different coffee grinds for each of us and our first step was to smell each cup and write down our thoughts about the aromas on a chart.   I used mostly generic adjectives such as “rich”, “dark”,  or “sweet” to describe what I smelled.  I haven’t gotten to the point of training my nose to detect a hint of lemon, blackberry or persimmon that others may catch with their snobby olfactory senses.  But who says a common coffee lover can’t enjoy smelling coffee? I took the pleasure of taking it all in by putting the brim of the cup over my nose as if it was an oxygen mask that dropped out from the ceiling of a plane and I was inhaling for my life.

Next Ramine poured water into each cup so we could describe the wet aroma by breaking the foam in the coffee. It definitely brings out other flavors you can’t smell with the dry aroma but for whatever reason, I liked the dry aroma better.

Wet aroma

Finally Ramine took all the foam out and we took a spoonful of each coffee and slurped the coffee to check for flavor, body, acidity and finish. There were definitely coffees I didn’t like (#2, #3,) because they were too dark or bitter for my taste.  I like #1 and #4 better; particularly #4 because it was “fruity,” “sweet,” and “clean.”

Turns out that #1 was “La Maravilla,” a coffee from Guatemala, and #4 was “Kenya Gichathaini.”  My date gravitated toward the #2 which was from Zambia and the #3, the “Pacamara Peaberry,” which was from Nicaragua.

Ramine was really sweet to give us all four coffee bags to take home with us, even though it doesn’t say on the Web site that that would be part of the deal.   It’ll be our little secret.

Good:

I forgot to mention Intelligentsia is a do-gooder and participates in direct trade with the coffee farmers and buys seasonally. As for the cupping class, taking the time to smell the dry aroma of the coffee grinds and talking about what we all smelled was fun; it’s comical to see how everyone smells different things from the same cup.  But the best part was getting four bags of coffee which I  wasn’t expecting and which I unfortunately can’t guarantee for you.

Bad:

If anything, waking up early on Saturday morning to do this. (If you can consider 9:00 “early” for a weekend.) For you non-early birds, they offer noon classes on Wednesdays until the end of this year.

Ugly:

Not having the coffee grinder to grind the free coffee beans.

-teeth

Philz Coffee
Mission District
3101 24th St. at Folsom St.
San Francisco, CA

Some people say they “left their heart in San Francisco” but I left my stomach.  Bi Rite’s Ice cream, mexican food from Mission district, Bouchon, and now Philz coffee.  These eateries offered the best of their genre and for me it was the best I’ve ever had.  Philz coffee has a interesting story (which I won’t recount here) but more importantly,  out-of-this-world coffee.  I ordered Jacob’s Brew which is accurately described by Philz as:

Named in honor of Phil’z only son Jacob. Each memorable sip boasts delicious layers of nuts and chocolate filled with a full-bodied flavor and finished without any acidity or bitterness. Jacob’s Wonderbar brew is a dark roast favorite!
Inside this hip coffee joint is a conglomerate of coffee drinkers lounging, chatting, and web surfing.  Standard coffee shop atmosphere until you watch the magic of the coffee being made.

The brew masters hand grind each order and hand filter it.  I’ve never heard of any other coffee shop that does this.  I am positive they must be downing cups of Philz brew to multitask coffee orders and stay sharp.  Even if you don’t love coffee, you must try Philz; it may turn you into a coffee lover.

Good
The coffee, duh.

Bad
Can be crowded and hectic

Ugly
The dark roasts can deliver a serious caffeine buzz for the uninitiated

Bouchon
Yountville, CA

Bouchon is owned by  renowned chef Thomas Keller and is one of three of his restaurants on the main street through this sleepy town.  Dave highly recommended this restaurant so I decided to take a drive from SF through beautiful Napa Valley to check out this bistro.  The amazing scenery and the perfect weather was a prelude to one of the best meals of my life.

I took this meal seriously; with notepad in hand, camera in pocket, and no reservation, I confidently walked in slightly after the lunch rush.  I lucked out, I immediately scored a table even though the restaurant was still packed.  No wine or soda for me, I uncharacteristically ordered sparkling water to insure an honest tasting of this meal.  As I perused the menu, I settled into my surroundings.  Amidst the cool chaos and bustle of eaters and servers, was a tight but comfortable layout with ample sunlight reflecting in and still a degree of privacy.  The gentleman who was my server was very helpful and knowledgeable.  I quizzed him about menu items and he quickly gave accurate and flattering descriptions with a proper French inflection where needed.  I remembered Dave raving about the duck and since roast lamb is all too common and not too difficult to get right, French Duck for me it was along with a tomato fennel gazpacho.

Man does not live on bread alone, he needs butter! (on right)

Tomato Fennel Gazpacho w/ olive tapenade

As I waited for the soup to arrive, I realized the level of detail put into this restaurant.  Everything from the decor, layout, service, and even menus was carefully thought out with the dining experience in mind.  Just as a small but perfect example: the gazpacho, which is a cold soup, was served in a chilled bowl with a chilled spoon.  Little things, perceptible or not, made this meal memorable.  I am glad  I made the last minute decision to order the soup, it was very good.  Yes, gazpacho is a cold tomato soup but is nothing like unheated Campbell’s soup.  It was smooth and balanced with a rich but not too sweet tomato flavor accented with fennel (like weak licorice).  The olive oil drizzle and tapenade was a very nice garnish to contrast the not only the color but and also the taste of the tomato.

Magret de Canard et sa Cuisse Confite (Roast Duck breast and thigh)

Some things cannot be contained in words

Strange coastline of alien planet or perfect plating and presentation?

The duck came out and I immediately marveled at how it looked.  Served just as it looks in the above picture (with the restaurant name facing you at 12 o’clock).  I was expecting tiny portions but I should have known better, especially after that adequately size gazpach’.  The plate was a mountain of roast duck, Savoy cabbage, chanterelle mushrooms, and winter squash.  The spectacular plating was evident, just look at the perfectly placed fronds of parsley garnish and saucy slathering of huckleberry reduction intertwined with the criss-crossed scored chunks of medium-rare duck meat.

I quickly came to my senses and having remembered that I am having a civilized Sunday afternoon lunch in pristine Napa Valley, I resisted my inner cave man response to tear through this meal.  I savored every bite with an occasional sip from my cool sparkling water.  To quote Dave, “This is the best duck I have ever had.”  Although it looked red and undone in the pictures, it was cooked perfectly.  The flesh was juicy and supple shrouded in a crisp salty skin with all of its fat rendered out.  Dave was not exaggerating indeed.  The accompanying veggies and fungi were perfectly cooked, and delicious!  Being in such a setting forced me to use proper knife and fork technique and to chew my food and oh how thankful I was.  I enjoyed every memorable minute.

I cleaned the plate and offered praises to my server about the duck.  Why stop such momentum of  a delicious lunch I asked myself.  I asked for the dessert menu to make this a 3 course meal.  My eyes quickly gazed onto the custard and I ordered it right away. I am not a dessert guy so the custard was a fitting end to the meal.  It was well made and not too rich or sweet.  The caramel was particularly strong and almost borderline burned.  I could not tell, as the duck from minutes before launched my taste buds into orbit and have yet to touch down.

This meal was a like a book:  the opening and plot as introduced by the gazpacho, rising to the climax of the roast duck, and the declining resolution by the custard.  I will not soon forget it and will want to re-read it.  An amazing 3-course lunch at a French bistro in Napa for less than $60 (not including tip).  Where else can you find this?  Definitely, one of the life-changing meals of my life.  Great job chef.

- Robert le Bruce

The unassuming French custard hides much below its surface

Good
Almost everything:  food, service, decor, atmoshphere, price.

Bad
Nothing.
It’s in Napa Valley and I am in NJ.

Ugly
Remembering this meal but not being able to eat it again.

Fin

Ryowa Ramen House
859 Villa St
Mountain View, CA

Mountain View may be known for HQ’ing Google but I’ll always remember it for Ryowa Ramen.  An hour was about all the time we had before the start of a friend’s wedding and craving ramen as we were, nothing was going to stop us from getting our fix.  DD and I hurriedly found the store and rushed in after parking.  Thankfully there was no line that Saturday afternoon and we wasted no time in seating ourselves at the “bar”.  Simple japanese style efficiency was the layout, typical of many ramen houses; with few tables with bar & stool seating snaking through the dining area, we were seated by a very cute waitress.

Oh the textures and layers…

While I am partial to Miso Ramen, I felt I had to try the Sesame ramen named after the restaurant with a side of pork gyoza.  The fried dumplings came out first.  They looked and smelled great but after the first bite we both realized, SALTY!  It was overpowering, even for this asian tongue.  The dumplings were homemade, but they were saltier than salt.  Dump these dumplings.

The ramen came out and it smelled and looked glorious.   Check out the gargantuan ladle of a spoon.  After savoring the rich aroma and snapping quick pictures with my trembling hand, I dove in.  Sugoiiiii.  Man this was good.  It was savory and salty and smooth, reminiscent of miso ramen.  Maybe I was really hungry but I devoured the ramen without tasting much sesame.  Eating salty noodle soup with salty pickled cabbage sounds ludicrous but the ramen and kimchi work together.  What else can contrast the fatty broth but spicy acidic cabbage?  Surprisingly, they offered two kinds of kimchi and they were both darn good.  This ramen rawked and I would definitely go back, to not only gawk at the waitresses but also to slurp some noodles and grab a cool Ryowa t-shirt.

Ryowa Sesame Ramen (Point of view from my eyeballs to yours)

(Leaning in close, heat rises from the bowl and hits the face)

(uncovering the delicious noodles; sniff the steaming broth)

Good
The Ryowa sesame ramen, and it’s only $7.50!
Not one but two kinds of killa kimchi

Bad
One bite of the pork gyoza will give you a weeks worth of sodium
The egg in the soup was overcooked and dry, I like runny ramen eggs.

Ugly
Sweating through my dress shirt from the hot ramen and spicy kimchi

- Ramen club CEO

Kimich should always look this good.

855 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, CA

515 Valencia St
(between 16th St & 17th St)
San Francisco, CA

The best place to go for real Mexi-Cali food is, you guessed it, Cali.  SF has too many taco joints to name and this review is not to find the best one.  La Cumbre, however, does put up a good fight and is a perfect example of what a mexican restaurnt should be:  tasty, fresh, and cheap!

The menu is huge and the combinations endless.  Combine that with low prices and you will want to order everything twice.  Taking much thought and restraint, I decided to order just 2 tacos:  pollo asada (grilled chicken) and al pastor(grilled marinated pork).  After you order, the assembly line starts and fresh grilled meat is pulled out of a tray and chopped up before your eyes and then toppings are added to your liking.  Stop by the surprisingly ample salsa bar for peppers and sauces and chow down.

I could tell right away these tacos were the real deal from the refried beans alone.  The grilled pork and chicken were juicy and tender.  The pastor was flavorful but not too salty or overpowering with a touch of sweetness.  For less than $6, you get 2 tacos with plenty of meat and all the fixin’s.

Tacos al pastor y pollo asada ($2.85 each)

South of the border vibe

Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th Street
(@ Dolores)
San Francisco CA

You know an ice cream shop is good when customers are willing to wait 30 minutes in a line out the door on a chilly 40 degree SF evening.  That was the scene Friday night in front of Bi-Rite Creamery.  Inside the small shop is a raucous atmosphere of ice cream assembly and chatter.  The customers were not the only ones adding to the noise; the lively servers  barked orders aloud and at each other in what hardly seemed like work but a fun Friday night.  Dave tried the banana “split” sundae with caramelized bananas, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, toasted walnuts and whipped cream.  At Bi-Rite, all of these toppings and ingredients are as close to hand made as possible and never out of a can.  Despite all that, the sundae was not good as the caramel topping was burnt.  Of course this would never happen in a mass-produced 5 gallon tin of mega-mart caramel but Bi-Rite made it from scratch and they messed up.  On any other batch the caramel would probably be fine but the taste of overcooked sugar was obvious and ruined the entire sundae.  At least it looked great.

I was reluctant to order the balsamic strawberry but was glad I did.  FANTASTIC, and not just because I am a strawberry ice cream fan.  This simple scoop was the best tasting strawberry I have ever had.  It was a rich smooth strawberry and cream taste at first with later more complex hints of unami (meatiness) from the balsamic.  I don’t know how much balsamic vinegar is used but don’t be put off by it, expecting acid-like salad dressing.  If they didn’t mention it, you would never know it was there.

Good
Just look at how many customers come out on a autumn evening.
The balsamic strawberry is the BEST. EVER.

Bad
The caramel tasted burnt that night.

Ugly
My gut if I lived nearby and ate there everyday.

Quaint cramped creamery customers collectively queued

Sundae with roasted bananas and vanilla ice cream

You MUST try the Balsamic Strawberry

In-N-Out Burger
333 Jefferson St.
San Francisco, CA

The famous and infamous In-N-Out (INO) burger.  I finally had the chance to try this fabled burger out west.  My quick opinion is:  not bad, not amazing, five guys has better fries and burgers.  Read the long review after the pics.

Good
Clean restaurant, great food presentation, and fresh ingredients all with reasonable prices.

Bad
The wait, especially if going for lunch.

Ugly
The post greasy burger, animal fries, and sticky sweet soda coma. ugh.

I can stare at this ALL day

If these fries were an animal, it would be a T-Rex

Subliminal messages or inspiration for the curious?

Paul demonstrating his animal-style

Don’t get me wrong, INO is very good.  I would eat there over any McDonald’s or BK any day.  It didn’t however, live up to the hype.  Everything is prepared fresh when ordered and they even let you SEE your food while its being made.  INO is proud of its offerings and treats their employees well.  Despite all that, the burger and fries fall short.  I am all about establishing baselines so I tried the single hamburger and single cheeseburger with onions and sauce.  Both burgers definitely needed the second patty, the meat to bun ratio was seriously lacking.  At least the veggies were fresh and crisp but that’s always the case in California.  I did not enjoy the fries and animal style did not help.  The shoe-string fries were too thin without any ‘tato flavor.  The addition of melted cheese and sauce only obscured the already little potato taste that was there.  I still like you In-N-Out, but I like my 5 guys better.

-burger bru