Lincoln Station 02-16-2014

Location: 409 Lincoln Pl. BK
Time: 2pm
People: RB, CK and myself

Feelings: After a breathtaking Gaultier exhibition at Brooklyn Museum, we were ready for the best fries in Brooklyn at Lincoln Station, just a few blocks away. At this neighborhood gourmet eatery-cafe, you can enjoy hearty yet sophisticated American fare like sandwiches, rotisserie chicken and soup. Breakfast, lunch and dinner (after 5pm) are available, and the ingredients are fresh and responsibly sourced. There is no waitstaff, and the service is on a slow side. The rustic space is completely packed with Prospect Heights neighbors, many of them quite young.

Food here is cooked in very unique ways. For vegetarians, "Braised Kale" (kale and fava bean sandwich, $8.95 with bread from Bien Cuit!) is popular, and kale salad is excellent in flavors and textures. The toasted walnuts and cheese on top are fantastic.

RB's porchetta sandwich was delicious. A perfect mixture of tender flavored pork and crispy fatty cracklin' sat well on the crispy ciabatta bread.

If you are the type of person who has millions of things to do and gets easily annoyed by entitled millennials, you will be utterly irritated by the wait at this place. However, after you taste their perfectly cooked fries, you will forget about the annoyance. They are crispy and juicy, and the well balanced saltiness will satisfy your palate.

I look forward to coming back to Lincoln Station next time I'm at Brooklyn Museum or Botanical Garden. I'll try to bring more patience for the wait time for those amazing fries for sure.

PYT is Coming to NYC! 02-21-2014

Feelings: Philadelphia's craziest burger joint, PYT is coming to NYC! Enjoy the deep fried Ellio's pizza burger, deep fried Twinkie burger and PB&J burger, guys.

Han Dynasty 02-15-2014

Location: 90 3rd Ave.
Time: 3:30pm
People: RB, CK and myself

Feelings: Originally from Philadelphia, Han Chiang's popular Han Dynasty has been a fan favorite in East Village. At 3:30pm on a dreary, post-Valentine's Day afternoon, the place was completely packed with hungry families, kids, NYU students, and packs of bros and girls chatting about their dates from the night before (will not pass the the Bechdel test).

There are some similarities between two establishments: Han Dynasty and Mission Chinese in LES-- Both serve American friendly Sichuan cuisine and have gained cult followings outside of NYC before their big move to Manhattan. Han Dynasty is absolutely not hip in any sense, especially compared to Mission Chinese, where you will find a Twin Peaks-themed bathroom, a former Uniqlo model Chef.

Han Dynasty offers "Tasting Menus," starting at $20 per person for parties of eight plus. Also on the menu, you will see distinctly labeled (1) - (10), which are the spice levels that can be altered to your taste. Each dish is generous in portion that is perfect as family style. The most popular, dandan noodles ($7.95, spice level 8) is the highlight of the meal. This is absolutely one of the best noodle dishes in the city as well as Cold Sesame Noodles ($6.95, spice level 0). They both have fierce amount of garlic and umami. The garlic was so strong that on our way home, we stunk up the 4 train with garlic oozing out of our bodies.

Speaking of more garlic, the chef's Taiwanes influence shines through Fried Taiwanese Sausages ($7.95) with several sliced cloves of raw garlic on the side, this is truly a stinky dish. Although this isn't something you want to eat on a date, RB thought it was delicious. It had a nice bite and wonderful smokey flavor.

The Crispy Rice Style ($12.95 with tofu. sweet and sour sauce with bamboo shoots, black mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms on sizzling crispy rice) is excellent in flavors and texture. The crispy rice soaks up all the tasty sauce and becames the perfect left over meal the next day.

We will have to go back. RB will certainly try their deep fried dry pepper wings ($9.95 spice level 8) along with another bowl of addictive dandan noodles.

The Chocolate List. 02-12-2014

Feelings: Happy Valentine's Day! (eh, Happy Birthday Lincoln!)
Ramen and Friends' chocolate picks:

Nunu Chocolates - box of beer chocolates plus chocolate covered chips!
Sweet Buttons Desserts - dark chocolate mousse!
Cafe Kristall - chocolate feuilletine please!
Royce' - nama chocolates!
La Churreria - churros with hot chocolate dip!
Puddin' - chocolate pudding!
FPB - macarons and roll cakes!
Sockerbit -swedish candy and chocolates!
Kee's Chocolate - why is this place INSIDE of HSBC?
Bosie Tea Parlor - chocolate eclair!
Laduree - new location now in SoHo!
Li-Lac Chocolate -hazelnut truffle roll!
Lady M - chocolate mille crepes, couronne du chocolat (heart shaped now available)!

RedFarm Upper West Side 02-07-2014

Location: 2170 Broadway
Time: 12:30pm
People: EE, AP and myself

Feelings: Popular Chinese fusion hit, RedFarm, has a new uptown outpost that is absolutely well worth visiting Upper West Side for. With the lost edge of old glory and arty flair, the UWS is now mostly occupied by Duane Reade, banks and cafes with millions of toddlers and their nannies on the phones. The late Nora Ephron must have been really disappointed by what this area has become. But in this neighborhood of chains and financial institutions, RedFarm 2.0 is possibly that most exciting thing that has happened since the late 90's.

Designed by Williamsburg-based Creme design team, the space is kitschy and looks similar its West Village counterpart. They do not take reservations and will not seat you unless all party is present. With a large group, this can be more annoying than shopping at Zabar's during the holiday season.

The food is served family style. If you decide not to share, each main course is large in portion. For dim sum, "Pac Man shrimp dumplings" ($12.5 for 4) are a must for a crowd pleasing effect. How can you resist these cute pac man faced dumplings, each with different shellfish related ingredients like lobster and snow crab? A tad gimmicky, but they are awfully cute.

The vegetable casserole with red curry sauce ($20) is a perfect winter dish with a kick. AP ordered, "Korean Rice Cake BBQ'd Pork Belly and Chinese Sausage," ($25) which he could barely finish due to the sizable portion. According to him, the leftovers were even better the next day.

Verdict:

• If you are an uptown resident who never dares to go to Flushing or Elmhurst: You will find RedFarm clean, safe yet exciting.
• If you are a foodie who knows how to get to Golden Mall or New World Mall: You will find this extremely overpriced but hopefully understand that this is a modern version in uptown..right next to a hip boutique hotel. 

Black and White Cookie: Not Really a Cookie 02-06-2014

Feelings: Check out "Black and White Cookies: 10 Things You Didn't Know." My favorite black and white cookies are from Lassen and Hennigs in Brooklyn Heights!

Bklyn Larder 02-02-2014

Location: 228 Flatbush Ave BK
Time: 5pm
People: RB, CK and myself

Feelings: Bklyn Larder, located right next to the 2/3 train Bergen station, is a fantastic cheese and provisions shop that specializes in sustainable, high quality food like hand-crafted cheeses, meats and prepared food. Not quite gently priced, you will see $30/lb cheeses, $10 peanut butter and $7.50 wheat free flour mix. Yes, this is one of those Brooklyn neighborhood shops, but you can't beat the wide selection of everything gourmet. It is a one-stop gourmet heaven.

It is difficult to find a good whoopie pie in NYC. Most are dry and stale, overly sugary mess. Not the case at Bklyn Larder. I hate using the word moist, but heck with it, I'll use it for this. It is a moist piece of whoopie goodness ($3). It is airy yet rich, and frosting is not too sweet or sticky. Even if you hate whoopie pies you can not help but love this delicious treat.

The breakfast menu looks amazing like cheddar and bacon scones and cheddar and scallion frittata sandwich on a buttermilk biscuit. And one cannot help but notice that the people behind the counter are friendly and extremely professional, which is a huge selling point for specialty store like this one. However, if you want ice cream or gelato, Ample Hills is just around the corner.

We saw a guy in front of us buying loads of food and local beer for his Superbowl party here...now that's the kind of party I would really love to attend. But whether fancy beer and cheese or the canned stuff on crackers with a PBR, Percy Harvin was fantastic on Sunday. Proud to be a Gator!