There’s no shortage of top-notch coffee in Greenpoint, but it’s always fun to have options and, as of last week, we just got one more, courtesy of a new cafe with the suitably caffeine-related name of ‘Early’.
Early Coffee & Sandwich Shop (967 Manhattan Avenue), held its official grand opening on Saturday, where the neighborhood was warmly welcomed in from the cold with free-flowing coffee and canapé-sized tasters of their yummy sandwich menu. Owner Radek Kucharski was cheerily doing the rounds with prosecco and hot cider, whilst cafe manager Peter Chrostowski was doling out espressos, mimosas, and sweet treats by Vegan Divas. Radek told us he’s always dreamed of opening a cafe in the area and, now that the stars have finally aligned in his favor, he’s super excited about the new venture. Continue reading →
Sandwich shop No. 7 Sub on Manhattan Avenue was closed over the summer for renovations. When it re-opened a few weeks ago, not only had the interior undergone a major facelift, but the place even had a slightly different name: No 7. North.
The new name is reflective of their their updated menu as, even though they still have some kick-ass sandwiches, there is now an expanded selection of bar food and, excitingly, booze. Continue reading →
Bagels, delicious bagels! With their amazing array of freshly baked goods and delicious cream cheeses, the brand new Bread Brothers Bagel Cafe will make you crave bagels for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
The long-awaited sandwich store offshoot of beloved local butcher The Meat Hook is now open in Williamsburg at 495 Lorimer Street!
Sandwiches are around the $10-$13 mark and include such specialties as Roast Beef with Hash Browns and Crispy Pig Face with Chipotle Mayo, cilantro, jalapeño, and lime.
Gothamist gives us the full down-low on the goods here but it’s worth noting that they’re running a Father’s Day Special of Steak and Bottomless Beer from 4-7pm TODAY!! Continue reading →
Blizzard number two this winter season and we had a Greenpointers field day turned mission to check out the new Philly cheesesteak joint called Delilah’s Steaks, literally a narrow triangular outpost on a stretch of McGuinness Blvd deep in Greenpoint.
Technically not on “the other side,” the address is 55 McGuinness Blvd So. at Engert Ave – out there. It had us thinking up ridiculous neighborhood hybrid names, like SoMc? Or NoBQE? Continue reading →
I’ve had Balinese food on my mind ever since a recent dinner at Selamat Pagi, near McGolrick Park. I’m in love with their menu, maybe in part because what they offer is so different than anything else I’ve found in Greenpoint lately—bursting with notes of galangal and lemongrass, spicy and herbaceous, with sweet, funky fish-sauce undertones. These flavors bring me back to Chicago, where I first tasted Lula Café’s Tineka Sandwich, a grown-up, savory take on the classic PB, made with Indonesian-spiced peanut butter and layers of juicy, crunchy, bright vegetables. A memory quickly turned into a craving, and so I created this rough approximation of the Lula original, starting by mixing up a spicy peanut butter, spreading it on whole grain bread, and then topping with some veggies and herbs I had on hand. Easy, delicious, and unusual. If you’re not used to imagining peanut butter without the jelly, it’s time to think outside of the jar. Peanuts are a great base ingredient to build on, and can easily go in directions both sweet and salty (Pad Thai, anyone?). So give this sandwich a chance, tiger.
You may notice my father, whose name is Rocco, is always making fun of all our vegan recipes in the comments section. But what he doesn’t realize is my affinity for vegetables is actually his fault.
Sicilian cuisine is mostly a peasant food and back in the day meat was for rich folks. A Sicilian dish called Caponata, which references capons (castrated roosters) is actually a delicious and totally vegan sweet and sour eggplant stew. Thank God because I never want to eat a castrated rooster.
I grew up on fava beans and cauliflower lentil stew. As a child, my father packed Broccoli Rabe sandwiches in my school lunch plastic bag, which was a hard one to explain to the PB&J crowd.
So it’s his doing that I love vegan food. Sicilians are the original vegans, before that was cool.
Broccoli Rabe Sandwich
Cut off the woody ends and soak a bunch of Broccoli Rabe in water (this removes any sand and dirt)
In a pan, sautee garlic and peperoncino (hot red pepper flakes) in extra virgin olive oil
Add the Broccoli Rabe – it can be wet because the water helps it steam
Season with salt and pepper and drizzle more olive oil on top
Put a lid on the pan so the Broccoli Rabe steams
Turn the heat off once it is soft and let it cool a bit
Pile it high onto semolina or any kind of Italian bread
It’s best when the bread is soaking with olive oil
Single People: I know, recipes are biased towards family-sized portions and cooking just doesn’t always make financial sense for one person, but take-out is expensive, too and will eventually make you broke and overweight. So here’s one solution. Buy one of those family-sized packages of chicken breasts and make this package of meat your bitch for the next three or four meals, all for about $20. First we’ll BBQ, then we’ll make a sandwich, then we’ll make salad and finally a simple soup.
First, wash your chicken. Run it under the faucet for 15 seconds and wet the entire surface and dry with paper towels. It makes for safer and better tasting chicken. Rub a little olive oil and a lot of salt & pepper on both sides and under the skin. Grill (or fry on a nonstick pan) on medium to high heat for about 6-8 minutes per side. Brush on BBQ sauce on top of one of the chicken breasts right towards the end of the grilling. Flip it a third time just for a minute, brush the sauce on the other side. Remove from grill and eat one of them with rice and some steamed veggies. Continue reading →
While shopping at the Farmer’s Market, I cannot resist fresh eggplants! There is nothing better than to simply slice and fry an eggplant and eat it, soggy with olive oil, on a piece of Italian Bread. When I fry it in little chunks, it’s perfect on red sauce with spaghetti.
When I see these little itty bitty purple eggplants, I have a mental freak out. My Japanese friends taught me the simplest and easiest way to prepare them. Continue reading →
After a long and tiring week, I said, “Jon, what do you want? I will cook you anything in the entire world!”
“Spaghetti Bolognese,” he said. It’s always spaghetti bolognese.
I went to The Meat Hook to get the the good meat, the kind Jon jokes that they “hug to death” and I saw pints of pulled pork next to pints of BBQ sauce and in my periphery I spotted potato rolls. No brainer.
He didn’t ask for Pulled Pork Sammies, but when he sunk his teeth into these delicious little suckers and washed it down with a cold beer on the side, Bolognese wasn’t on his mind.
Sometimes, when you’re cooking for 2, it makes total sense to buy prepared food. The entire meal cost about $20, which is way cheaper than buying a pork shoulder and much cheaper than going out to eat.
It’s really satisfying to sit down to a beautifully “plated” and delicious meal, even though I didn’t make it from scratch because I wasn’t deliriously tired, I wasn’t scrutinizing my creation and I didn’t have a sink full of dishes looming.
