checking out the new franny’s

I’d been curious to see how the new location of Franny’s would compare to the original, as it’s been one of my Brooklyn favorites. The new spot opened on April 8th, and promised more seating, a larger menu, and even a separate downstairs dining space for private parties. Accustomed to arriving to a group waiting just outside or inside the door, we were amazed to find the new space much more open. The pizza oven space is much more spacious, as is the bar area.

We decided to sit at the bar, happy to have caught them still serving dinner at almost 10pm (their posted hours are actually until 11:30pm). We ordered several appetizers as well as a pizza, which ended up being a perfect amount of food. The first dish to come out was the pea shoots with lemon and pecorino rossellino. The fun ribbons of cheese were a nice balance to the slight bite of the greens.

This freekeh salad was my favorite out of the starters. It included some tasty parsnips, almonds and pecorino ginepro.

I was not sure if it would be too heavy, but this wood-roasted pork sausage with mustard greens was a perfect addition to the line-up, adding just enough protein to the starters we tried. The greens were nicely done – not too bitter with excellent flavor.

And of course, it’s not a visit to Franny’s without a pizza. This time we went with the prosciutto cotto, spring onion, olives, chilies and caciocavallo pizza. The thinly cut proscuitto was flavorful. The chiles added a bit of spice and it was a nice change from the standard mozzarella for them to use the caciocavello (a sheep’s milk cheese).

For dessert, we tried their latte gelato and the salted caramel. The latte was more of just iced milk – made me almost think of making snow ice cream growing up. Put the two together, and the flavor was quite good. Yum. Verdict? New Franny’s still equates to the varied goodness of the original.

Franny’s – 348 Flatbush Avenue (b/w Stirling Place & 8th Ave), Brooklyn – 718.230.0221
No reservations, except  for parties of 8-12

 

live octopus birthday dinner at sik gaek

When it’s your friend’s birthday and all he wants is a group outing to a Korean restaurant in Queens for some live octopus, you do it. Especially when he’s taunting you saying “C’mon, Tony did it!” – referring to a visit Anthony Bourdain paid to the restaurant as a part of a No Reservations episode back from 2009. Ok, fine. I decided if my friend was on it enough to coordinate “reserving” one of the only twenty-something octopuses being flown in from Korea that I would give it a try. When else would I have this opportunity?

I would list out exact menu items ordered, but I’ll be honest. I don’t know names for most of the dishes we had. The menu was mostly in Korean, and if you visit Sik Gaek’s website, it’ll appear all in Korean, even when you click for English. We started out with some beef fried dumplings, thick pork belly, and a soju watermelon.

When it came to the main course, we let the birthday boy order. We ended up with the seafood hot-pot, preceded by sashimi. There were others who ordered a variety of more standard Korean fare – beef and noodles and a massive shrimp dish of sorts (their shrimp was amazing). When it comes to the sashimi and the hot pot, perhaps it’s best I save my words and just share some videos of what our experience really was like.

 

The birthday boy makes this look easy.

 

The video here where I finally tried it? Decidedly less refined. I only had a small bite – which was all I ever intended to try. I’ll confess, it wasn’t my favorite. I far prefer charred octopus to the chewier variety, and this definitely didn’t have that char layer. And I was so paranoid about not chewing it enough for the wiggling business not to be an issue that I couldn’t really think too too much on the taste. It was definitely an adventure and I’m glad I joined in on the experience.

Following the sashimi, the giant hot pot with all sorts of seafood came out. There was lobster, more octopus, abalone, conch, shrimp … so many things. They claimed it served 3-4 people – a statement we’re still confused by. The pot was massive, and there were at least 6 of us picking away at it, with it seeming to go nowhere.

As if that wasn’t enough, once we decided we were mostly done with it, the workers pulled it off the flame and turned it into a big pot of fried rice. No additional charge. We weren’t too hungry, so we told them just 2 servings worth of rice. The result was way more than we were prepared to handle, all topped with cheese. It was definitely a unique dish. This was just overall a restaurant full of surprises. It was a fun change of pace to do for a birthday, for sure. Great outing for a group!

To finish of the celebrations, the birthday boy’s girlfriend had brought his favorite cake from Veniero’s – cannoli cake! Which we all ate with, what else – chopsticks!

Fun night in Woodside! Anyone else out there tried “live” octopus before? Thoughts?

Sik Gaek – 49-11 Roosevelt Avenue – Woodside, Queens – 718.205.4555
Reservations Recommended

 

overnight blueberry french toast casserole

Not that I’m exactly a pro, but I’m learning that hosting in-home events can be a challenge. Especially if, like me, you don’t cook often. The timing can be tricky and you don’t want for your guests to be stuck waiting for too long without enough to eat. Everything coming out once everyone has left would definitely be a hostess faux pas.

I’d never tried an overnight french toast casserole but thought it was the perfect addition to the line-up for Dixie’s recent birthday brunch (AKA my annual excuse to have all of my friends over for brunch in February). I adapted it from this version I found online.

Ingredients:

• 12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (or, if you’re like me and bought new bread, oatmeal thick style bread worked quite well – added a bit of additional flavor)
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon bourbon (whatever you have will work – optional, but delightful)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon butter

Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.

Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, bourbon, and syrup in a large bowl. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Take out the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast.

The result was quite good. The recipe claimed that it would serve 10, but I think most at the event were able to get a bite of this. Perfect for splitting at an event like this.

In addition to lots of great food and conversation, my little five-year-old pup was completely exhausted with all the fun she had. Win!

 

celebrating 2 years with seafood at marea

I did not know where I was going for dinner to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. I did know I was meeting T at Columbus Circle. And I was to be dressed up. So I pulled out my to-be-worn Roberto Rodriguez dress, heels, and made my way there from work, curious to see where we were headed. While Marea had been a long lingerer on our “to try” list, it hadn’t really crossed my mind Marea could be the spot. Especially since I thought (incorrectly, as it turns out) that Marea was in the Upper West Side.

As we perused the menu and Bible-like wine list, we were greeted by this light refreshing amuse-bouche. I was very impressed by the sommelier, who was able to quickly go off of a couple I found interesting paired with my description (what wine works well for this guy over here who doesn’t like white wines but can no longer drink red) to guide me to a selection buried in the pages. Verdict? Quite good and at a reasonable price point to boot.

We both went with the four course prix fixe. Priced at $97, it included a selection from Crudo, Ostriche or Antipasto, a  Pasta, a choice of fish or meat, and dessert. There were so many intriguing options on the list that narrowing it down, especially for the first course, was quite hard. I made it down to two options, and asked the server for his opinion. I went with his suggestion, which was the Dentice from the “Crudo” section of the menu. It was sliced raw Pacific snapper, mandarin orange, pistachio, and a carrot vinaigrette.

For the pasta course, my choice was a no-brainer. I clicked around online and everyone was raving about their fusilli, incorporated a red-wine braised octopus with bone marrow. The flavors were quite good. Just a tad spicy and I liked that the pasta was subtle and in thin corkscrew ribbons. The portion size was absolutely perfect. Highly recommend.

For my main course, I had to go with the Spigola Nera, which was local black sea bass, fregola sarda, cipollini, broccoli rabe, roasted carrots, and a balsamic glaze. The fish was amazing – light, flaky, and flavorful. The fregola was a wonderful addition, something I haven’t come across in probably years in NYC. The perfect caramelization on the cipollini made it impossible for me not to eat every last bit.

For dessert, I went with the Crostata di Mirtilli, which was huckleberries, ricotta crema, candied squash, sicilian pistachio, and a lemon sorbet. It felt very guilt-free for a dessert. There were lots of things going on with the listed ingredients here so I was not sure if it would all work … but oh, it did. I can’t say I’ve ever had candied squash in a dessert, but it worked. This is one of the best desserts I’ve had in a while. T had the Budino di Mandorla, which was also quite good. It was white chocolate almond crema with orange blossom, lemon curd, and blood orange sorbetto. The white chocolate almond crema was quite sweet and the blood orange sorbetto tart. The rest helped it to even out a bit, with the overall flavor on the sweet side. Both wonderful ways to end a great meal to celebrate such a wonderful occasion!

Marea – 240 Central Park South – 212.582.5100
Reservations Required

 

valentine’s day at kittery

We were not planning on going out on the actual day of Valentine’s Day. Most places only offer prix fixe menus or find some other way to make it more expensive for that one particular evening. However in the end, we opted to do our Valentine’s plans on the actual day. We started the evening with some paint your own pottery at The Painted Pot before making our way down the street to Kittery.

The restaurant, which has been open since around Christmastime, isn’t crazy crowded. As should be expected for Valentine’s, it was totally different. We got there around 9:30 (my squirrel here was super detailed so I wasn’t exactly the quickest of painters) and found the place completely full, with the hostess telling us it would be another hour before they could seat us. T did not look amused. However, it was only another 10 minutes before they seated us. Perhaps some growing pains of a new-ish restaurant learning how to deal with peak crowds.

We chose to skip their popular “Stuffies” (baked clams with sausage stuffing and lemon) and instead started with their warm spicy crab dip, which was served with bagel chips. We were warned that the portion size was on the larger side and that many people had commented on the dip being pretty spicy. Both made us smile. The appetizer was much needed with the late dinner time and confirmed what I suspected, which is that on a cold night if I needed a bit to eat, this might be something perfect to get and sit at the bar and be content with just that. Quite good.

We also had to start with the clam chowder. Hard to beat a good clam chowder on a cold night. With the seafood focus at Kittery, it was a no-brainer. The balance of flavors was good. Creamy but not overwhelmingly so. It was heavy on the pepper, which I loved but BF found a bit excessive. Portion size was nice for us to share, seeing as we’d ordered an assortment of items.

For our main course, we split the surf & turf, preceded by the simple greens salad. The mustard vinaigrette on the salad was excellent and made the salad for me. The surf and turf was a great combo. The steak was perfectly done and seasoned, and I liked that it was all very reasonable portion sizes, even with us splitting the dish. The hollandaise-esque sauce wasn’t too heavy too. My issue was with the lobster. It was way overdone, making it too chewy and a bit disappointing. I’d like to go back when it’s warmer and feels more seasonally appropriate to instead try their lobster roll. Overall, a nice spot and curious to try their outdoor dining once spring fully kicks in. But overall, a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Kittery – 305 Smith St (btwn Union/President St – Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn – 718.643.3293
Reservations Suggested

 

opening night at nightingale 9

Last night was the official opening for Nightingale 9, a Vietnamese street food spot that sneakily went up under the facade of a curious frame shop that just never seemed to be open. Outta nowhere, there was a name and last week, there was a sign proclaiming Thursday, February 21st to be the day. I really wanted to check it out, being such a big fan of Kerry Diamond’s other spots – Seersucker and Smith Canteen.

Walking in, you can see the small bar bordered by tables mostly in a L shape. There are some 2 person tables in the front but the back is mostly communal style, holding around 6 people each. The menu was divided into 5 sections: salads ($11-12), appetizers ($10-14), rice noodle soups ($10-12), vermicelli bowls ($11-15), and jasmine rice dishes ($10-15). While many of the dishes caught my attention, I did have to read carefully, as there were lots of dishes with mushrooms in them. They have beer and wine on tap, as well as several intriguing sodas (next time, I’m totally trying the tamarind soda) and teas.

To start, we had the Long Island Squid Salad, which was tamarind, peanuts, morning glory (this interesting green you see here, also referred to as “Chinese spinach” or “Swamp cabbage”), and fried garlic. The dish was refreshing and very light. A nice flavorful yet light way to start off the meal. I can’t say I’ve ever had fried garlic but it was kind of an amazing addition.

I opted for the Chao from the jasmine rice dishes. The dish had shredded chicken, cilantro, peanuts, and fried bread. It was a nice portion size – just enough to enjoy without feeling overwhelmed by food. The broth was light and topped with a heaping portion of cilantro (no problem by me).

My BF had the Berkshire pork rice noodle soup, which had roasted pork shoulder, country ham, cracklin, lemongrass, and annatto. I really liked his. It was quite spicy without adding any of their on-table assorted sauces. You could tell it would be as soon as they brought it out from the deep orangey red of the both (which apparently was due in part to the addition of the annatto).

For dessert, I have to confess we never got to see the menu. The party next to us took off, seemingly late for another event. They left behind a lady, who was still paying and, as it turned out, was also waiting for dessert. Since they’d left, she offered us their dessert. They were Popsicles – one a coffee with cream and the other a creamy lemongrass. They were so completely different. The coffee one was more icy than creamy, except for the thin layer of condensed milk running along the bottom. It packed a bit of a bite and was quite good. I think my favorite though was the lemongrass. It was so creamy and flavorful. I really enjoy the flavor of lemongrass but I’m much more accustomed to it in hot noodle dishes.i have to say, it’s a great cold flavor as well.

Wonderful first night here. Can’t wait to go back and try more things at this spot, in particular I’m already eying the cha ca catfish vermicelli bowl and the campanelli checken pho.

Nightingale 9 – 345 Smith Street (btwn 2nd & Carroll Streets)
No Reservations

 

verdict on breakfast tacos at briskettown

Yesterday I used another one of my carryover vacation days to enjoy doing a little this and that in the city. I’m becoming hooked on this extra day a week thing. It’s one part staycation and one part errands I never get to do. Amazing.

The first thing I did was to voluntarily head over to South Williamsburg on what ended up being a pretty chilly Wednesday to check out the relatively new breakfast at Briskettown. Based on the other time I had Daniel Delaney’s brisket (over at a friend’s house), I had a feeling it would be well-worth the hike over.

Had to try two different ones – bacon taco & brisket taco

The seating area is very no frills and laid back. At just after 10, there were three others in there besides us. Service was quick and super friendly. They have some different bread and pastry options, but I knew coming in it was all about the tacos. They are $4 each and are a solid portion without being crazy crammed full. Coffee was solid as well.

Oh but back to those tacos… so there was I believe a veggie option (apologies, my eyes skimmed right past that one) as well their “bacon taco” (pulled pork belly prepared in the smoker paired with scrambled eggs) and the brisket taco (scrambled eggs, pickled purple onions, cilantro, and chile sauce.)

Bacon Taco – Briskettown

The pork one was really good. I liked the addition of the pickled onion and the chile sauce. The pork was solid as well – flavorful and tender.

Brisket Taco – Briskettown

I ate the pork one first though since I had a feeling that the brisket one? It was going to be the winner out of the two. And oh was it ever the winner. Just a quick backdrop on me and brisket – I didn’t grow up eating it. I kinda didn’t know what it was. In fact, I don’t think I’d ever had it until I moved to New York City! I tend to like it okay, but it’s not my absolute fave. Correction – unless it’s Daniel Delaney’s. Amazing. Just amazing. I would eat this brisket taco every day. I want it again already… This is truly brisket like no other. Totally worth traveling for.

One more brisket close-up – just cause…

Breakfast today feels totally inadequate. I think breakfast just might be ruined for the week… cause nothing is going to come close. Darn it, Briskettown!!!

Briskettown – 359 Bedford Avenue (btwn S 4th & S 5th Streets) – Williamsburg, Brooklyn -
Breakfast tacos are available Mon-Fri 8AM-12PM & Sat/Sun 8AM-3PM