Today's McCafe Plug Courtesy of DJ Khaled

McDonald's marketing is hardly subtle, especially when describing the ubiquitous McCafe advertising campaign.   This local radio spot featuring DJ Khaled takes the cake.  I've never heard such an impassioned case for mass-produced hot chocolate. Points for hip-hop hilarity.

Via: Twitter

Happy Turkey Day

Gobble, gobble...
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Lombardi's

Party, Lombardi's Pizza Party!

The other day, after an event at the Crosby Hotel, my friend, Cory, and I, went wandering around Nolita and worked up an appetite. In all of my time in New York, I have never been to the famous Lombardi's, so we decided to try the goods at the well regarded and respected pizzeria.
The restaurant is  bustling, loud, and bright, giving off a "cheap and cheerful" vibe.  We ordered a simple pepperoni pizza with mushrooms sprinkled on my half of the pie. The pizza came out covered with the most precious little pepperoni slices and fresh, melted mozzarella cheese sprawled across the evenly sauced pie (Uneven saucing is a pet-peeve of mine.) The crust wasn't too doughy and not too crispy. Overall, the pizza was tasty and satiated our hunger pangs. I can't say the place wowwed me, but Lombardi's puts out a satisfying slice.


*Perfect after a day at the Angelika or shopping.

Lombardi's
32 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
www.lombardisoriginalpizza.com
(212) 941-7994

Bread Shoes=Yuck

Via: New York Approval Matrix
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Hoard Those Wings

What is Pluck U to do? Because of low poultry production this year, there's a chicken wing shortage... Sports bars everywhere are lamenting the terrible scourge affecting the range of their app menu.

Via: Reuters

Sh*t, if it's gonna be that kind of party...

...I'm gonna stick my fork in these mashed sweet potatoes! 

Went to a fabulous dinner party that Sabina threw last week and made the easiest dish ever... Here's the recipe:

                       

Party! Pizza Party: Roberta's

Half-eaten pizza.  

Last Saturday, my friend, Sabina and I had plans to go to a loft party in Bushwick.  So, I recommended that we go to a restaurant called Roberta's in the area, which is  accessible by a harmless subway ride on the L to the Morgan stop.  I've been there a number of times when I'm in the vicinity.  The food is pretty consistent and the variety and simplicity of the menu are enough to please most people. The centerpiece of the menu is the pizza, cooked in a wood-burning oven at the front of the restaurant.  Being THE local spot in Bushwick, the only major drawback of Roberta's is that the wait for a proper table is always impossibly long (well, 45 minutes). Luckily, the wait for 2 spots at the bar area is not. We ordered the following:

• Kale Salad with Guanciale,  Pickled Onions w  Vinaigrette: I highly recommend this dish.  The kale was fresh and crunchy--dressed with a perfect balance of fat and acid.
• Grilled Skirt Steak:  Very simple, well-cooked and well-seasoned.
• Good Girl Pizza: Kale, Tallegio, Pork sausage, and Garlic: My go-to dish here. I've had it every single time I've been here. Really tasty.  Sometimes the garlic slices are a bit overbearing, but this time around it was perfect.

Everything is big enough to split, except for the skirt steak.

I kind of went overboard on the kale that night, but the leafy green is an immunity booster and wards off H1N1.  The waiter said that 35% of the kale (and other produce) is sourced from the greenhouse on the premises and the remainder is locally sourced.

Compared to a commensurate Manhattan dining experience, the prices are recession-friendly and  very reasonable. The staff is quite busy but cheerful.  No reservations and cash only (ATM outside the building).

Roberta's 
261 Moore St Brooklyn,NY
Mon-Fri 12p.m.-Midnight
Sat-Sun 11a.m.-Midnight
718-417-1118
*My anthem for the night. Couldn't stop singing it.

Deep Frying Your Turkey: DOs and DON'Ts

As turkey day approaches, people go wild over deep-frying the entire bird. Here is one fire department's "DOs and DON'Ts" for avoiding a holiday catastrophe. Stumbled across this video on Eatmedaily.com which features 8 other videos of turkeys bursting into flames.



Via: Eatmedaily.com

Top Chef: Buh-bye Robin

Justice is at long last restored. Robin was sent packing. All is right in the world now... The End.

**But, at least she had a good hair day on her final appearance. As far as female faux-hawks go, it was working for her! Watch "The Morning After" video for her take on Tom's height and  Padma's jokey nature. Somewhat interesting.

Via: Bravo.com

Edible Bacon Candle

Drizzle this.... Talk about olfactory heaven...

 

Via: Gothamist.com 

Sunday Delight: Will Cotton Bakery/Art Event

At 40 Great Jones Street today! I bought pink peppercorn, gingerbread, and salted caramel macarons at the artist, Will Cotton's baking/art event. Don't miss the stunning and eye-catching painting of an Aphrodite-like model in the buff splayed out on top of a puffy cloud of pink cotton candy!

Elvie's Filipino Joint: Peaced, Dunzo, Kaput

Another economic casualty has struck the East Village... and among MY people.  Elvie's was the only Filipino joint that I had eaten at multiple times. Multiple times, because of the familiar food that reminded me of my grandmother's cooking, but mostly because the dread and laziness associated with the train ride to Queens/Jersey City to eat REAL Filipino food was unfathomable. Will miss the pinakbet... Paalam na, Elvie's.

Part 2: What Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do

Check it!  Going to take it easy in the 'hood this weekend.  Tamer than last...

Via: The New York Times

Crazy for Momofuku

I don't care how much you drool over David Chang's steamed pork buns.... This indelible display of adoration is just bonkers.

Publicity stunt? Washable Marker? But the gradient on that orange is too good...

Via: Eater.com

Dos and Don'ts: 100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 1)

Some of this is ridonculous, but definitely worth reading (#12 Don't touch the rim of my glass, or BOWL, please!). Restaurant service, social snobbery, New York/Manhattan class behavior--all in one blog post...Be sure to read the quite lengthy comments section!
Via: New York Times

Banana Meatloaf

Maybe it's because of my chronic seasonal affective disorder or my botched Halloween bacon costume from the weekend, but I have been hankering after comfort food all week. And what embodies comfort food like no other dish? Meatloaf!

I came across a novelty recipe for Banana Meatloaf posted on the Retro Recipes feature for Eatmedaily.com, originally published in 1941 by a fruit purveyor to hawk more bananas. Not sure if it will satiate my cravings, but I dig the old-timey anthropomorphization of the banana.

"Recipe: Banana Meat Loaf
From Bananas: How To Serve Them, 1941
1 pound ground beef
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup mashed banana
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Mix the beef, crumbs, onion, salt and pepper until fully incorporated. Add the mustard to the mashed banana and mix into beef. Pack into oiled loaf pan and bake at 350 for one hour, or until cooked through."


Via: Eatmedaily.com