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Ben’s Braised Pork Belly Cooked in Duck Fat

Last night, my friend Ben Newland cooked an insane pork belly. Cured over the course of a few days and then cooked in lots and lots of duck fat for just about five hours. The results are amazing.

Ben also threw together a delicious cucumber salad, a perfect compliment to the pork. Gao Di and Alexa made delicious vietnamese spring rolls for starters. I made rice. How helpful. This pork is ridiculous, it is basically dripping in fat. Fatty pork is one of the best foods. Ever. More pictures are below for your eye feasting pleasure. This = pork porn. Maybe it’s time for some serious pork detox… just after I eat the last of the leftovers…

OH. MY. GOD. SO GOOD!!! YUMM!!!!!! Thanks, Ben! Now we gotta repeat procedure and make some home-made ramen!

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Aurora’s Brunch Special

The other weekend we had some beautiful weather and we decided to hit up Aurora in Williamsburg for brunch. I’d been to both Aurora’s locations before and the Williamsburg one is way better. Aurora in Williamsburg has a nice little semi-outdoor area which is perfect for a nice day. The Soho location is kinda kitschy.

Aurora offers a brunch special that includes a brunch entree with a coffee and a mimosa or bloody mary for an affordable $15 dollars and it’s worth it. I recall Aurora having some amazing sangria and it’s a shame they don’t have it as an option instead of a mimosa or bloody mary on that brunch menu.

This is the Confit d’Anatra, duck confit with bacon hash and poached eggs. It is ridiculously delicious! A hash of two great meats can only mean great things and Aurora does it up real good.

Gao Di got l’Ingles, two eggs any style (in this case fried) with applewood-smoked bacon, sausage, mushrooms, beans and roasted tomato. This bacon is so thick it’s like amazing slices of pork belly. A very savoury meal this one, succulent pork and sausage goes very nicely with all the extra fixin’s.

Mmm. That was a good brunch.

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Wechsler’s Currywurst Goes Great With Köstritzer Schwarzbier

Having watched a some people eating a currywurst in line for Caracas during the Taste of 7th St festival, after we finished our Caracas arepa we walked around the corner to Wechsler’s Currywurst & Bratwurst on 1st avenue to get our own.

Wechsler’s is an awesome little German spot that has one guy manning the food and the bar. Wechsler’s offers Köstritzer Schwarzbier, a dark German lager that Gao Di happened to discover at another bar just about a week before this. She told me Köstritzer resembles our favorite Czech beer, the glorious Kozel and she was right. This beer rocks. It’s an awesome dark beer that isn’t too heavy and just tastes so good.

We got a currywurst to split between us with fries. This was delicious. Great chopped up pork with tasty curry sauce. Can’t go wrong with something like that. I also love thin cut french fries. Yum! $6 bucks.

Wechsler’s is located at 120 1st avenue between 7th st and St. Marks Place

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The Taste of 7th Street

This past weekend Scoop St. organized a two-day event called The Taste of 7th Street featuring some eateries on 7th St between 1st ave and Avenue A: a small sandwich from Porchetta, a lobster roll from Luke’s Lobster, an arepa from Caracas, two cupcakes from Butter Lane, and a smoothie from Xoom - all for $18 dollars. So, it only occurred to me, after looking at Scoop St’s twitter page mentioning that this deal had reached “1000 scoops” that this was going to be a bit of a crazy event. 1000 people got in on this deal? For 5 tiny spots? In only two days? Anyway – let’s hop to it.

On arriving on 7th St, Gao Di and I saw that Caracas had the largest line so we headed over to Porchetta for our first meal. Props to Porchetta for managing to not have a line – they are already the type of place that would be easily prepared for this sort of promotion. We walked in and showed our Scoop St. coupons and were handed our small porchetta sandwiches wrapped in tin foil. Now, I expected the sandwich to be pretty small, considering they would obviously not give you a full sandwich (which I reviewed just the other week), but I sort of assumed we might get a half a sandwich.

What we have here is more like a little Porchetta ball in a tiny bit of bread, but I must admit, this place never disappoints and that ball of pork goodness was still my favorite chomp on 7th st, although the others are quite good too. As usual, succulent delicious pork is mastered at Porchetta.

Next up, we went to Luke’s Lobster to get in on their lobster roll. As per the promotion, the lobster roll was a “snack-sized” portion. This thing was awesome, although small, there was a generous portion of deliciously seasoned and mayo’d lobster on a wonderfully grilled bun. A good combo of hot and cold. I salute you, Luke!

After Luke’s, we thought we’d head over to Caracas right next door. Caracas was swamped. After waiting on line you actually had to give them your name and pick up your order an hour later. We put our name in and headed over to Xoom and Butter Lane to see the situation there. Xoom’s smoothies are amazing and also super filling, we decided to skip that line and grab our smoothies on Sunday. We queued up instead at Butter Lane to get in on these cupcakes. By the time we got our cupcakes it was time to go grab our arepas.

De Pabellón from Caracas is an arepa featuring shredded beef with black beans, ‘white salty cheese,’ and sweet plantains. This was the most substantial of the offerings (and also the most messy!). This thing was really tasty and Caracas’ own yellow/whatever the hell is in there sauce. I was too busy eating this on the side of the street getting my hands dirty to take a better photo. All you need to know is that it’s some saucy goodness and it was yummy.

After stuffing our face full of the arepas we went around the corner to Wechsler’s (having nothing to do with the taste of 7th st) to enjoy a cold Kostritzer, a currywurst and then crack open our cupcakes. I’ll leave Wechsler’s to a separate review. But… the cupcakes.

I have been curious about Butter Lane Cupcakes… this place has cupcakes for three bucks a pop and the price was a bit of a deterrent, so finding that two were included in Scoop St’s deal was an awesome chance to check them out. Honestly, these cupcakes are unreal. These cupcakes are made with some true love and great ingredients. If my memory serves me correctly we got: Vanilla cake with cream cheese icing, chocolate cake with maple pecan icing, banana cake with cinnamon-honey icing, and a chocolate/chocolate cupcake. These are maybe the best cupcakes I’ve had in the city and the icings are sooo good. I think my favorites were the cinammon honey and maple pecan cupcakes. You need to check this place out.

Well that about wraps up The Taste of 7th St. The lines were a bit hectic, but when all is said and done, I left quite satisfied, belly filled with some great foods. What I like about similar deals that I’ve found at Groupon, is that you can use your coupon at any time within a pretty long window. This was organized as a two-day food festival, so I “get it” that you get small helpings and there is a bit of chaos, but while you’re waiting in line your brain starts to dissolve a little bit in anticipation. Anyway – I was pleased and would most definitely do it again. I loved the occasional passersby that had no idea this thing was going on. I heard things like, “All for cupcakes?” and “Oh my god, Caracas’ line is ridiculous let’s get currywurst.”

Below is a photo taken by Cenzo Jester of the line outside Caracas. Peep Gao Di and myself hanging out in the left corner. At the back of the line.

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Peter’s Since 1969 – Slow Cooked Pork n’ Grits

I had passed Peter’s Since 1969 in Williamsburg several times and never really knew what kind of food they had or what to expect from them until it was recommended for a large brunch with friends. This place rules! Peter’s has a whole lot of awesome rotisserie chicken and amazing lunch and brunch specials.

I scanned the menu and my eyes immediately honed in on the Slow Cooked Pork & Old Fashioned Grits from the brunch menu. At $9.95, this brunch meal is served with coffee, orange juice, and salad. That is a deal. The slow cooked pork is ridiculously tender and tasty and goes perfect with the grits. The grits are both chunky and creamy and delicious. A wonderfully simple meal served in a generous portion. Go here on a weekend and get this. Mmm savory pork and lots of it.

Peter’s lunch menu also offers a 1/4 rotisserie chicken that is served with your choice of soup, two sides and focaccia bread. Mac & Cheese and sauteed spinach complement the chicken well. Get the dark meat, yessss. At $7.95, that is a pretty heavy deal.

Peter’s Since 1969 is located at 168 Bedford Ave between N7th and N8th st

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Kafana | кафана – Amazing Serbian Food! Meat fest!

Gao Di and I went to celebrate Valentine’s Day at the same place we went last year, the amazing Serbian restaurant Kafana (кафана) in Alphabet City. I owe the discovery of this place to Eileen, thanks homie! Anyway, Valentine’s Day also happened to be the first day of the Chinese New Year and we rejoiced in the most un-Chinese of ways, having stuffed our faces at Joe’s Shanghai in Chinatown the day before. What I mean by that, is that Chinese people traditionally do not eat meat on the first day of the new year, only eating some Chicken at dinner. They say that brings good luck.

Either way, Kafana happens to offer a most meaty of meals and this place RULES.

Before I get to my comments on the food, I’d like to share a quick story that prefaced our actual meal. Our table was right by the door, and while Gao Di was in the bathroom, a duo of very strange guy plus very old guy appeared hovering by our table. The man asked that the old man, who I assume was his father, take a seat for just a moment. Not knowing what to do, I told him it’d be fine just that my girlfriend would be returning shortly. Sure enough, she was on her way back, and these guys didn’t budge. The owner and service people were stunned. Not knowing what to do we just sort of stood around while this strange business proceeded. All I can say is these people were ridiculously weird and no one knew what to do. The restaurant was super busy but within a moment, the owner opened up another table for us. All I can say is that the workers were champs and handled the situation as best they could. They were super nice and we still had an amazing time! We wound up with dessert on the house… now! To the food…

As I’ve troubled you to read through that story I will keep my notes on the food from being too long winded and make it more of a photo essay… who reads this anyway? Pictures pictures pictures…

We started off with the spinach pie which was quite delicious, dense and flaky!

You are also always treated to some bread with delicious red pepper spread when you come here. Don’t eat too much of this just because it’s free.. there’s much more to be had.

Behold. Kafana’s Mixed Grill for Two (Mesano Meso) is the perfect meat fest. This feast comes with: Seljacka Kobasica (peasant sausage), Dimljena Vesalica (thinly sliced smoked pork loin), Rolovane Suve Sljive i Dzigerica (prunes stuffed with walnuts & cheese rolled in bacon and chicken liver rolled in bacon), and a Krmenadla (pork chop). That’s a lot of pork products, and that’s a lot of “can’t go wrong” food right there. All of this is delicious. The bacon-rolled prunes and chicken liver are particularly delicious as is the pork chop. All that meat is also a deal at $29.95. MMMMMMM.

Sufficiently stuffed but always game for more food we were treated to one last treasure: a flourless chocolate walnut cake. This thing is ridiculously dense and is amazing for any chocolate lover. I recommend it.

Anyway, that about sums up all that needs to be said about Kafana. The restaurant has an awesome ambiance, the food is amazing and the wait staff is super friendly. My experiences at this restaurant have all been awesome and I encourage you to go there!

Kafana is located at 116 Avenue C between E 7th St. and E 8th St.

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Xie Xie Has Tasty Asian Fusion Sandwiches

I first went to Xie Xie on Ninth Ave a few months ago and decided it was time to come back and give the place somewhat of a formal review. Xie Xie offers some asian-inspired sandwiches without asian-inspired prices.

First up is the Vietnamese BBQ Beef sandwich, which seems to be Xie Xie’s take on the banh mi, using beef, carrots, mayo, basil and kimchee. This sandwich is delicious! The mayo is tasty and this sandwich (like banh mis) goes amazingly well with some sriracha sauce which is provided at the table. At $10.50 this sandwich is a bit overpriced but it is definitely worth the experience. The only annoying bit is that the damn sandwich is so messy and collapses in your hands after the first bite!

Next up is the Sweet Glazed Pork which actually comes as three little sammies. These are fun and surprisingly filling. The pork tastes great as does the dough-y bun. $9.50

Aaand, the best way to complete your Xie Xie experience is with a Thousand Year Old Ice Cream Sandwich (mirroring the idea of the thousand year old egg). The thousand year old ice cream sandwich is a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two chocolate cookies with an amazing black caramel center.

All in all, Xie Xie is a great place to enjoy an asian fusion sandwich although the price is a bit on the high side… like I said regarding Baoguette.. there are cheap banh mis to be had in Chinatown! That being said, Xie Xie offers something a little different and is a fun alternative to the ever popular banh mi.

Xie Xie is located at 645 Ninth Ave btwen 45th and 46th Sts

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Porchetta

Porchetta is an awesome little eatery in the East Village that serves, quite obviously, pork. Porchetta’s menu is small, offering the porchetta sandwich and a mozzarella sandwich (why would you get that here?), soup, a meat platter, some sides, and every now and then a special or two. There’s a lot of hype about this place but don’t let the hype get you down, Porchetta is delicious.

The obvious choice to get is the porchetta sandwich which is simply a healthy portion of pork on a ciabatta roll. At $10 the price is a little steep for such a small and simple sandwich, but the pork makes it well worth it. The pork is so tasty and a little hot sauce (they give you sriracha sauce!) is the perfect complement. Sometimes being really plain yields amazing results, and Porchetta nails it with this amazing sandwich.

This place is tiny and I have seen it quite crowded, but do yourself a favor and get a porchetta sandwich! One time previously they offered a special that was a delicious pork ragu, and although undoubtedly more complex and saucy, the simplicity of the porchetta sandwich still rules my heart.

Porchetta is located at 110 East 7th St. between 1st Ave. and A

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Fette Sau = MEAT, MEAT, MEAT

Fette Sau is a German BBQ spot in Williamsburg and is an awesome place to get two things. Shit tons of meat (READ: LOTS OF PORK) and shit tons of beer. There is a lot of hype about this place but honestly, if you are a meat-lover, how can you not love this place?

(beautiful picture via roboppy)

Fette Sau is located in what seems to be a converted garage that functions somewhat like a beer garden with long picnic tables. The handles for the beer taps are butchers’ knives. Here you can get a nice assortment of pig and cow parts, sides and beers. There is one cutter so the line can get fairly long but the wait is well worth it.

Things to get: The berkshire pork belly is amazing here, super fatty! Both the beef short ribs and berkshire ribs are also very delicious. The sausage links are tasty and fun to eat with a bun and hot sauce. The burnt-end baked beans are by far my favorite side. They are amazingly flavorful and if you stick a whole lot of meat together with the beans, a bun and your choice of sauce it’s fantastic.

MMMM meat barrage!!! Fette Sau also offers a bunch of sauces, and their “spiciest” sauce, while not being mind boggling spicy, tastes REALLY GOOD and is a good addition to an already flavorful meal.

This is a fucking awesome place to come with friends for a serious meat and beer fest. Securing a table spot when this place is busy will prove quite a burden and you may have to stand around looking supremely awkward. Fette Sau usually has some sort of special meat every time I’ve been there, my co-worker says he once had duck here. Also, Fette Sau has a late night menu which I have unfortunately not yet tried. Their night menu consists of $3 dollar pulled pork sandwiches or sausage with a roll.

I haven’t been here in a while and looking back at these pictures is making me salivate… I also have yet to try Dinosaur BBQ which I’ve heard, from what I’ve heard, is better… I will have to find out for myself and hopefully sometime soon. In the meantime, I can vouch for the meaty glory that is Fette Sau.

Fette Sau is located at 354 Metropolitan Ave btwn Roebling and Havemeyer

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Congee Village’s Peking Style Pork Chops

I love Congee Village. This Chinese restaurant in the Lower East Side is awesome: good prices and great food, and I enjoy the random atmosphere. Last week I was here I heard people singing karaoke ridiculously loud from the lower level rooms and watched the hostess running around to turn the volume down while screaming to herself, “So loud!!!”

Anyway, my favorite thing to get here is the Peking Style Pork Chops. These pork chops are so savory and delicious. As you can tell from the picture, Congee Village gives you an awesome abundance of pork… up until you finish it all. Some parts crunchy, some kinda chewy- pork chops are simply fun to eat. Man, I love pork.

You also obviously need to get the congee (also known as porridge). My favorite kind to get is the Sliced Pork and Thousand-Year Egg Congee, I believe the price is around 3 dollars… an amazing deal. The Beef Chow Mein and Jumbo Shrimp are also excellent. Not that I was expecting them to be amazing here, the xiao long baos at Congee Village are pretty mediocre, as I recall they were dry and only offered in pork. While I do love pork, I much prefer the pork and crabmeat mixture. For much better soup dumplings I recommend going to Joe’s Shanghai or Nan Xiang Dumpling House which I wrote about a little while ago.

This is a good place to eat and drink. The price seems perfect with four or more people… maybe it’s simply because Gao Di and I can’t help ourselves when we’re on our own and just happen to order the same amount of food as we would with a larger group of people.

Congee Village is located on 100 Allen St between Delancey and Broome.