Let's Eat! 07-10-2009

Feelings: Check out Smithsonian Channel's "Stories from the Vaults: Let's Eat!" hosted by Mr. Tom Cavanagh. Here, Mr. Cavanagh cooks authentic Native American dishes using indigenous ingredients with the executive chef of Mitsitam Cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall. (The cleverly titled "Let's Eat," is a translation of "Mitsitam")

Rai Rai Ken 07-07-2009

Location: 214 E. 10th st.
Time: 7pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: RB and I often go to, or try to go to, Rai Rai Ken for its authentic Japanese ramen shop vibe and stick to your ribs broth. It is still to this day my favorite ramen shop in the city. Its narrow counter seating, greasy aroma, and hall-in-the-wall ambiance all come together in wonderful noodly harmony. In here, there is a man. He is a middle aged Japanese businessman deep in an Osaka ramen shop, sitting at the counter, slurping greasy ramen and sipping a cold Kirin. He groans about his misery of overworking and difficult family life, but his soul is warmed by the flavor and atmosphere. He gently and casually shows a tiny smile. Ramen should be enjoyed in this type of desolate setting, and Rai Rai Ken successfully delivers the ambiance.

I usually order shio ramen, but since it is summer, I switched it up to Hiyashi Chuka. It came with fresh vegetables, sun dried tomatoes, chewy cold noodles and tangy dressing. I am not sure about the choice of sun dried tomatoes since I prefer fresh tomatoes for the dish. Sun dried tomatoes tend to overpower a dish and did not mix well with the dressing well. The noodles were perfectly eggy and chewy with a hint of greasiness.

RB's mabo tofu ramen was decent, but he did not enjoy the ground meat. He thought they were grounded pork but tasted like beef instead. The broth was thick and tasty, and he said, "Tasted just like mabo tofu." He also prefers Rai Rai Ken's eggy noodles which are more flavorful and chewy.

Rai Rai Ken's decor and flavor might not be as refined as Setagaya or Ippudo, but it has the sincere charm and authenticity of ramen's roots. Their ramen is greasy, and you will need beer to wash it down, but that is the way you are supposed to enjoy ramen to begin with. Gyoza, ramen, and beer--oh what a ramen life!

Gianpiero Bakery: Last Days in LIC 07-05-2009

Location: 4417 30th Ave

Feelings: RB and I have about three weeks left in Long Island City/Astoria area, and one thing I will definitely miss is Gianpiero Bakery on 30th Ave. It is one of the most authentic Italian bakeries around. Every night around 11pm, I would smell the amazing aroma of bread coming from the bakery into our windows. Let me remind you, during 2006 Queens blackout, when Mr. Bloomberg could not care less about Queens, this was the only place that was open and kept baking for people in the neighborhood with their own industrial generator. While sitting in dark for over five days in our apartment, the aroma of bread coming to the windows kept my spirit up.

After five years in the area, I am still intimidated to go in and casually order due to their heavily local Italian neighborhood vibe. Thankfully, RB goes to the bakery every Saturday morning to grab some pasticiotti and coffee for us, so he has become one of them despite his Scottish appearance. I should really be brave and order for myself before I leave the area. He does tell me that they are quite friendly.

Their pasticiotti is quite addictive. They usually have the regular very tasty vanilla custard version, but they now have chocolate flavor, which is even better. The outer layer of pastry is crispy and buttery, and the creamy pudding texture inside is oh-so-smooth with a wonderful chocolaty aroma. It is never too sweet or never too buttery: it is just right.

I am not sure how I am going to survive without these authentic pasticiotti on lazy Saturday mornings. Farewell, Astoria.

Independence! 07-04-2009

Location: Somewhere in Williamsburg
Time: All afternoon, all night
People: July 4th Party People

Feelings: Happy Fourth of July! To celebrate the holiday, SSam & JHays hosted "Sky High BBQ" rooftop party with a very robust grill, plenty of great food, drinks, and amazing people all around. SSam somehow sensed exactly when the dogs were done every time, and when he was not by the grill, he called JHays to take the hot dogs out. This man knows his grill.

I fixed my veggie hot dog with homemade guacamole and cucumbers for a wonderful experience. The creaminess of the guacamole complimented the texture of veggie dog and the crispy coolness of the cucumber slices very well, and I am not sure why I never thought about trying this before. Many BBQs have veggie dogs and guacamole. It only seems so natural. One gentleman pointed out that Crif Dogs serve this, so I will have to stop there again soon.

RB especially enjoyed bacon wrapped dates. It had smokey sweetness that seemed like great unconventional party snacks.

Even though the fireworks were on the Westside this year, we managed to see most of the fireworks over the beautiful Manhattan skyline. (You can't bring Brooklyn down!) Seeing fireworks from Williamsburg rooftop patio was a wonderful experience. Thank you SSam and JHays for hosting such an amazing party!

Cafetasia 07-02-2009

Location: 28 E 8th St.
Time: 7pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: On our way to Rai Rai Ken in East Village, we stumbled upon a Thai place cleverly or awkwardly named, Cafetasia. Since the price was reasonable, and the rain started pouring again, we went in without hesitation.

The front door and communal tables follow the theme of cafeteria faithfully. The tall candle stands on the tables scared me, as I thought they might fall onto my face. (They never did.) We had about three or four members of the waitstaff making sure we had everything, which was pleasant but a little bit overboard at the same time. As soon as we took a sip, someone came by to fill up the water. As soon as we finished a plate, someone came to clean up. I felt I was constantly being watched and judged at all time, which is again, just like cafeteria.

The menu gave the clever option of three different sizes: S, M, L and XL. This gives the options of sharing food with people or eating as small or large as you want. I hope this trend would catch on. We both decided to order their "early bird" special, which gives you an appetizer, an entrée and draft beer/wine/soda for $10. What a great deal!

Our appetizers, gyoza and spring rolls were both greasy and salty, and they came over-sauced. The entrées, Thai basil with shrimp and chicken Pad Thai were just mediocre. They were both over-seasoned, and the vegetables were not particularly fresh. Our beer, Blue Moon and Brooklyn Lager were good as expected.

I like the concept of the place and their reasonably priced menu, but I would much rather spend extra $3 to get amazing Thai food elsewhere or we should have stuck to our plan and kept walking towards Rai Rai Ken in the rain.

Celebrate with Checkers, Brooklyn Heights Style 07-01-2009

Location: 111 Court St.
Time: 9pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: Hello Brooklyn! RB and I are saying goodbye to Astoria and moving to Brooklyn Heights. To celebrate, we thought about heading to Chip Shop. But instead, we randomly found our beloved Checkers on Court street and decided to get small fries. Classy! I thought there was no Checkers in five boroughs, so I was ecstatic. It was actually the nicest Checkers I have ever seen. That's what I love about Brooklyn Heights already. A little bit of class, a little bit of trash.

Papacitos 06-30-2009

Location: 999 Manhattan Ave.
Time: 7:30pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: While apartment hunting in Greenpoint area, we had to stop at the famous vegan friendly taco spot, Papacitos. Just for the sake of being so close to Papacitos makes me want to move to this area. They should list that as a benefit in the Craigslist listing. Ramen and Friends' member, TrishP mentioned that Papacitos was recently robbed, so I thought I should definitely stopped by to give them our support. Okay, perhaps people shouldn't mention Papacitos on Craigslist after all.

Unfortunately, due to the rain, the outdoor patio was closed, and it was packed with hungry people and taco aroma. We had to wait for 10 minutes to be seated, but I did not mind waiting considering how friendly and courteous the waitstaff was.

RB and I both ordered three tacos with three different fillings: soyrizo (vegan chorizo), spicy tempeh, and seitan asada, all with soy sour cream. Wow! They were all amazingly flavorful and strikingly spicy with a nice kick of cilantro. My tongue and stomach thought I was feeding on meat and dairy, but without any guilt or sick feelings. I had to keep telling myself, "This is not meat. This is not dairy." I never actually really tasted meat, but RB said these were even better than their chicken tacos he had previously, so I am assuming this is very close to real meat.

Unfortunately, they did not serve alcohol, but it is BYOB, and there are quite a few bodegas and corner shops around to buy a few tallboys to enjoy with your meal. RB decided not to go out and buy a beer but managed to really enjoy the tacos without one of his favorite Pacifico or Modelo. Ladies and gentlemen, that means the vegan tacos were really good. He is not a vegetarian nor would he dare to eat tacos without a good Mexican beer.

We left the place with $15 bill, again impressed by how reasonable Greenpoint dining is. What have we been doing in Astoria all these years? Is it time to for us move to Greenpoint? Is this a calling?