Chopstix to Steaknives: Cuisine

Thursday, February 24, 2011

The perfect late night snack: lobster roll, crack pie and cereal milk?

I arrived back in New York late and was starving. Where should I go that is still open late?

Without any hesitation, it was off to Luke's Lobster for a lobster roll. My first lobster roll after hearing so much about them. I did send a workmate of mine there last week and he reported back that it was good. With high expectations set, how will it fare?

Lobster Roll $15

First bite in, you get chilled lobster with a soft bun that has a slight crunch on the exterior where it has been toasted and slab with butter. This is good. The lobster stays refreshing being chilled and have not been tainted with any creamy overkill. That went to the bun. Like all things that uses butter, it always works but you might feel slightly greasy at the end. No biggie as you can always request for less/no butter.

One lobster roll is not enough if you're seeking a meal. At $15 buckeroos for a lobster roll, I think going for the Taste of Maine at $21 where you get 1/2 lobster roll, 1/2 shrimp roll, 1/2 crab roll, 2 empress claws, crisp and a drink would be a better option.

With Protein in my late night snack done, it was time for some sweets. A few blocks down from Luke's Lobster is the Momofuku Milk Bar. I did head to the mid-town branch the week before but this time, the original store will be my next stop.

Even for a weekday, the place is busy. I got my order in a takeaway brown bag that says Milk. How cute!

Back in the warmth of my hotel room, couldn't wait to dig in but have to resist. Need to take some photos first, haha!

I love the cereal milk bottle, reminds me of those glass bottles that the milkman used to deliver in the past. This was plastic but I guess this will be the modern version as the modern us would rather carry light and flexible plastic than heavy glass bottles?

How does it taste like? It's like diluted cold Horlicks which I loved as a kid. The milk is very light with a slight sweet aftertaste. Makes for very easy drinking. And no, no cereals in the milk for you to crunch on.

Next was the Crack Pie which is a oaty crust with a gooey butter filling. This IS good. You bite into a very thin moist and crunchy base with a melt-in-your-mouth butter filling that hits the sweet spot.

Surprisingly, it's not OTT sweet. You get the rich butter taste but not overly so. It's like the buttery sweetness hits you right at the start but slowly dissipates as you chew so you get to the crunchy base and grittiness. This is GOOD as it means you can enjoy the whole slice without feeling sick after but it's BAD as you can devour the whole slice and more without thinking!

I am liking this Milk Bar. If I have time, might try their truffles and boozy milkshakes before heading back to London.

Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar, 207 2nd Ave, East Village, New York, NY 10003
www.momofuku.com/milkbar/default.asp

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Washington Eats: Transport back to the 50s era & beyond

While in Washington, I made my way to 2 eateries that hold significance to the people here.

Now most people know that you have to deal with crappy and expensive food when in highly touristy places. Being able to find something decent usually comes up to nil.

If you find yourself in Washington, it will be the rare person who does not make The National Mall as one of their tourist destination. Seriously, the museums are awesome, I'll write up the post soon.

So finding myself watching a video at the Visitors Centre, there was a mention made on how Mitsitam Cafe is one of the best in Washington. Now that pricks my ears, good cafe in tourist place? Definitely a place to have a spot of lunch then.

The cafe is located in the National Museum of the American Indian and serves indigenous cuisines of the Americas. Heck, they even have a book published! Positive sign perhaps?

The cafe is actually operated like what you would find in IKEA. Different stations of which this is split by North. Mid and Southern native cuisine. Select what you want and pay at the cashier at the end.

Maple & Juniper Cedar Plank Salmon $12.75
Wild Rice Salad $3.30

Guava & Tapioca Pudding $2.50

So I ended up selecting the salmon with wild rice salad and who can resist dessert, which is a pudding.

Unfortunately with most hot food that are cooked and prepared beforehand and left on display counters waiting to be served, they no longer taste nice. I would have to say the same thing for my salmon, it has gone all dry. There goes high expectation for a cafe.

The wild rice salad on the other hand, it being a cold dish was fabulous. Sweet, crispy and refreshing, really lovely I can eat a whole plateful of this and more. My pudding was nothing special.

Overall, was feeling a little underwhelmed but considering the choices of food available here (McDonalds and hot dogs), this is a much better option although a more expensive one.

The next place is Ben's Chilli Bowl. It opened in 1958 and have some famous people graced their premises. I saw two names on a list of people who get to eat for free, Bill Cosby and Barack Obama & family.

They are so famous that they even have a gift shop and their own iphone app. Seriously? If they have survive for so long, definitely a place to try.

Stepped into their doors and you are transported back to the 50s era. The decor, the atmosphere and even the music, you can imagine how it was like back then and was a nice change.

Ben’s Famous All Meat Chilli Dog $3.99

I got the chilli dog and cheese fries to go with it. Soft buns with a sausage and topped with chilli sauce, the chilli sauce has a nice kick to it. Is it good, yes? Is it awesome, no.

Cheese Fries $4.30

If you like your fries coated with cheese then this is the one for you. Melted cheese coating every fry, there is no hiding from the cheese. After a few fries, it can get a bit overwhelming. The fries are good; I just couldn't finish all of it.

I say Ben's is not just about the food as you can probably find similar or better ones out there. But you can't beat the 50s vibe, the friendly smiling service, and wallet friendly prices.

Sometimes, you just want something simple instead of all the rich and heavy eating with having to eat out the whole day everyday while on holiday.

And you can come back and tell your friends that you ate at the same place as Barack Obama and Bill Crosby. Oh, and apparently President Sarkozy of France too!

Mitsitam Cafe, 4th St SW At Independence Ave SW, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC 20024
http://www.americanindian.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=visitor&second=dc&third=mitsitam