In My 'Hood - Chuko

I don't know anything about ramen. One thing that I have learned recently is that it's called "Japanese soul food". People line up all over Japan for their favorite local ramen joint, which can come in the form of the most upscale to a completely Mom & Pop operation. Here's a great Intro to Ramen video from the New York Times Travel section.

I'm still learning so much about what's authentic and what's not regarding ramen, but as usual, I aim to eat what tastes good. When I heard about a new ramen restaurant, Chuko, opening up near me in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, I knew I needed to go. We are a little starved for good ramen in this part of Brooklyn. Chuko was highly anticipated because the two men who've opened the restaurant were formerly at Morimoto. If you've ever watched Iron Chef, Iron Chef America or even Top Chef, you're probably familiar with Mr. Morimoto himself. Either way, Chuko's founder were bring a lot of buzz with them.

Chuko

As per usual often in Brooklyn restaurants on a Saturday night, there was a wait; and, boy, did we wait. Even with a walk to kill time, we waited and waited some more. I will say that the staff was friendly and apologetic about the situation. The staff and service at Chuko is friendly, quick and seamless (just go earlier or later on busy evenings). Often at small restaurants, service seems to be the forgotten element, and it wasn't at Chuko.

I was in the mood for veggies, so Husband J and his visiting friend, Davey, agreed to have some veggie appetizers.

Charred Brussel Sprouts

with fish sauce, peanuts and sliced chili

WHAT?! Brussel sprouts should always be made this way. I purposely went for the chilis while avoiding the peanuts and made sure to cover the brussels sprouts in fish sauce when I could. Asian flavors are the perfect way to highlight this fall vegetable.

Crispy Kale Salad

bacon, golden raisins, ginger dressing

When we tried this kale and the brussel sprouts, we realized that the wait was worth it. I'm still wondering how they made the kale so crispy. I was impressed that the chefs had found a use for the ubiquitous ginger salad dressing that you get at Japanese restaurants. It was stuck on the bottom of the bowl, but what a nice surprise when you reached that portion of the dish. Also bacon. 'Nuff said.

Yes, we actually DID eat ramen.

There are three types of ramen on Chuko's menu, and you have a choice of having them with added chicken, pork or sans meat add-ons for the vegetarians.

Our friend Davey had the Pork bone ramen (the soup base was pork bone) with poached egg. I have to say that I didn't taste this. Davey and I are cool (I still like him even though he laughed at the Giants' loss to the Redskins yesterday), but we're not sharing food.

Husband J had the miso ramen that night, and I had this on a subsequent visit to Chuko.

It's like buttah! Seriously, this soup was buttery smooth. When I think of miso, I usually think salty, but that just might be my limited understanding of the power of miso. This ramen was creamy, with al dente like noodles and crunchy corn kernels. There was something so warming and comforting about this soup. Let's just say I understand ramen's Japanese soul food designation now.

My dish...

Spicy Pork Ramen

red bean paste, kimchi, spicy minced pork

Noodle money shot :)

O.M.G. First of all, when the waitress said kimchi, she had me. I don't think that kimchi is usually associated with ramen (Anyone? Anyone?), but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have spicy ramen AND kimchi. The soup almost resembled a creamier base than some of my favorite Korean soups (kimchi jigae in particular) with the addition of chewy noodles and a very soft poached egg. It was heavenly. Please note that this is a special, so I don't know how much longer Chuko will serve it.

By the way, since I'm not a ramen expert, I don't know if Chuko wins any points for authenticity. Just know that it's good.

Winter is definitely in the air. Thank goodness for good ramen close by!

Chuko

552 Vanderbilt Avenue

Brooklyn, New York

In My 'Hood - Littleneck

We don't have enough good restaurants specializing in seafood in this part of Brooklyn. When Littleneck in the Gowanus area opened a few months ago, I was happy to see that it filled a cuisine void.

Littleneck attempts to replicate a New England seafood shack, and I think they do a pretty good job, especially with the decor.

The bar

looks like a bait and tackle shop

They got the decor right, but did they get the food, right? I'd say so...by the way, I forgot my camera that night so these are all IPhone pics in a dimly lit restaurant. :(

When we go to seafood restaurants, I let Husband J take the lead. After his years of growing up and visiting seafood restaurants throughout New England, I will say that he knows a thing or two about raw bar offerings. We kept it light, since we were still recovering from Thanksgiving dinner. We got two oysters from Rhode Island, two from Long Island, and two from Washington state. All fresh and all good. I love oysters!

Husband J has to order the chowder. A mark of a GOOD "New England-esque" seafood restaurant has to be its New England Clam Chowder. We both figured that we couldn't stomach a full bowl of chowder each, so we had the kitchen split the bowl for us. It was a good move that we even ordered it because this might have been one of the highlights of the whole meal.

New England Clam Chowder topped with dill

Usually I find chowders to be overly salty to the point where it really overpowers most other tastes. Yes, I know that seafood is inherently salty so that will affect the taste of the soup, but it didn't affect Littleneck's at all. As a fan of spice, I loved that Littleneck's chowder was spicy, if not perhaps a little too spicy (Well, not for me. Although a dash of salt would have balanced out the spice a bit more). It was such a breath of fresh air to have a chowder with bite. Also it wasn't unflatteringly goopy like some chowders can get. I loved it, and so did Husband J. The dill was a nice touch, too. I wonder if they will deliver this in the winter. :)

I think these are crab cakes with a basic slaw, if I remember correctly. Husband J had these. Good, not mind-blowing, which is fine.

A not-so great IPhone pic. Maybe I do need a DSLR? :)

I actually had one of Littleneck's signature dishes, its Clam Roll. WOW!

The Clam Roll = FABULOUS!

I really do think it has to be the great mix of the tartar sauce, lightly toasted (and spot on traditional) roll with the not overly breaded and lightly fried clams that really makes this dish work. Each element is totally on point here, but my hats off to the perfectly tangy tartar sauce. Husband J had never had a clam roll before (more chowder, fresh clams or clam cakes), and even his New England seafood snobbery was put aside for a few moments. It's not cheap for what you get on the plate, but usually neither are losbter rolls. We'll have to get Littleneck's lobster roll next time.

Finally, Husband J was transported back home by this:

Narragansett beer. You can take the boy of out Rhode Island, but you can't take Rhode Island out of the boy. **shoulder shrug**

This beer brings back memories for him, especially of unsupervised high school parties.

Thank you, Littleneck, for adding something new and needed in a neighborhood that I am sure will soon be a destination (there was no wait on a Saturday night (at least not yet)). Yay!!

Littleneck

288 Third Avenue

Brooklyn, New York

Food Porn Friday /In My 'Hood - Smashburger

Midwesterners, you've been holding out on me. You didn't tell me that I'd fall in love with Smashburger. I feel somewhat cheated, but also quite lucky, that the only branch in New York City is a quick walk away from my home. Five Guys, based out of the DC/Maryland/VA area, has also opened two shops relatively close to me; AND Brooklyn's first Shake Shack, with its perpetually long lines in Manhattan and elsewhere, will be opening close by, too. We're about to have one big burger glut here in Brooklyn. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. :)

I can say that I appreciate Smashburger for the fact that it's a clean and simple burger. I tend to order the Classic, which comes with lettuce, tomato and onion with melted cheese on the burger. Sometimes when there are too many toppings on a burger I feel as if someone is trying to hide something.

The accompanying Smash Fries are worth it. In general, I wish these fries were tad less oily and had even more of the rosemary that gets sprinkled on top. Please be healthier than me, and just get the sweet potato fries.

Have any new fast-casual restaurants or food shops from other regions of the country (or even parts of the world) opened up near you lately?

Smashburger

80 DeKalb Avenue

Brooklyn, New York

Happy Weekend!

Food Porn Friday/In My 'Hood - Robicelli's Cupcakes

I think we've already covered the fact that I love cupcakes. It's not because it's a trend. It's really because I love cake and frosting. As I mentioned before, I'd fallen in love with Robicelli's cupcakes back in March. They have over 160 flavors that are rotated weekly, so let's just say it's going to take me quite some time to eat my way through their inventory. :)

Why I like Robicelli's:

1. They pay attention to the cake just as much as the frosting. The cake portion of every cupcake I've tasted so far has been moist and flavorful. I think some cupcake bakers think you'll just enjoy the frosting, so they don't need to provide quality cake. Robicelli's recognizes that a good cupcake has got to get both elements right.

2. They take the time to develop interesting flavors and textures instead of selling the same old same old.

Here are some of the flavors that I picked up at their DeKalb Market shop.

Chicken & Waffle

I actually already wrote about this one. That's an actual piece of chicken. Cool! Yes, it does taste fabulous, although I did eat the chicken separately from the cupcake.

Butterbeer

Butterscotch soaked cake, butterscotch butter cream, edible gold dust

Yes, that is a Harry Potter reference. This was my favorite of the bunch.

Ebinger

Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, chocolate glaze, cake crumbs

This cupcake is for the chocolate lovers!! When I bought these cupcakes, it was one of the hottest days of the year thus far, so I think the frosting was starting to slip. Oops! I'm not a big chocolate cake fan, but this was actually my second favorite. The custard buttercream tastes like you're biting into chocolate custard melded with soft cake.

Bea Arthur

Black coffee infused chocolate cake, cheesecake buttercream, espresso ganache

Can you tell it was hot in our apartment?

I had to take a pic of this one before Husband J ate it! They actually have cupcakes named after all of the "Golden Girls" actresses. AWESOME! I've tried the Estelle Getty, which is a more subtle almond flavor. I haven't seen the Betty White one though. Hmm...

Robicelli's (available all over the city. Check their website for locales near you)

@ DeKalb Market

322 Flatbush Avenue Extension

Brooklyn, New York

Happy Weekend!

In My Hood/Food Porn Friday - Roman's

Roman's is an Italian restaurant that opened this past fall in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. It's from the same group of people who opened the offbeat Williamsburg, Brooklyn restaurant, Marlow & Sons and the traditional butcher shop, Marlow & Daughters, which specializes in grass-fed meats and makes its own sausage (they've got another restaurant, Diner, too...busy people!). All of these places are pretty well known and notoriously delicious, so I wanted to see how this team would tackle Italian cuisine.

Roman's doesn't take reservations, but my friend MY and I were there early on a weekday night. This restaurant isn't that big, so I can only imagine what it's like on a weekend night.

I will say that what I love most about my area are the many neighborhoody restaurants that it has. Roman's has the feel of a small neighborhood place, but they take their service seriously.

For our appetizer:

Warm Beets with Goat Cheese, Walnuts & Horseradish

Yum! Beets are the best of both worlds, aren't they? Sweet and a vegetable. Score!

Lamb Chops with Saffron Turnips & Brocoli Rabe

This was MY's dish. I had a smidgen of this and thought it was flavorful and quite tender.

My dish: Chicken Leg Polepettine

Definitely not what I imagined it would be. It was essentially like a chicken meatball wrapped in spinach in a broth. It was extremely simple but slightly salty for me (maybe I am losing my salt tolerance in my old age?).

Finally the dessert that MY and I shared:

If I remember correctly, this was a ricotta cake with baked pear and fresh cream.

What a perfect way to end a meal! The cream was so smooth and whipped to utter perfection. I could have had anything with that cream, and it would have tasted great. The cake was moist, spongy and had more of an almond vanilla flavor. Baked pear is really nice to have at this time of year, and dessert with fruit always makes me feel like I am eating something relatively healthy. Ha! :)

I am definitely going back to Roman's later this year, since the menu changes constantly (if not daily).

Roman's

243 DeKalb Avenue

Brooklyn, New York

Happy Weekend!

In My Hood/Adopt a Block - South Elliot Place & Lafayette Avenue

Oh my! I haven't done an "Adopt a Block" post in awhile, so here it goes:

Today, I thought I would focus on two restaurants on the corner of Lafayette Avenue and South Elliot Place in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Again, I remember when these two restaurants weren't even there, and the food pickins' in the neighborhood were slim. How times have changed!

67 Burger and The Smoke Joint are situated diagonally from each other and a part of a little community of restaurants that dot the criss-crossing of Lafayette Avenue and Fulton Street.



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I go to Smoke Joint when I don't really care if I am about to eat a full day's worth of calories in one sitting 'cause when BBQ tastes good, it's just good. I am always reading that many people think BBQ in New York is bad and just not up to par with what you can find in the South. Look, I just go with what my taste buds tell me. If the tastebuds like, then I don't care if the food doesn't compare to what you can find elsewhere. Shouldn't enjoying food just be free of judgment sometimes? My answer is "Yes!" Before I started eating meat somewhat regularly again, Smoke Joint was my meat guilty pleasure.

At Smoke Joint, I prefer their version of spare ribs. They tend to be bigger and have more meat on the bone. Go big or go home (or better yet stay home).

Husband J chose the baby back ribs, which are much smaller and leaner. If you want to be dainty, try these. I don't go to Smoke Joint to be dainty. Word.

The sides are lovely too. I tend to make sure I fit a veggie in by getting their collards which are not overcooked and have a smoky flavor to them. Also two words: Macaroni and cheese. Smoke Joint's version isn't bland, and the cheese has a salty sharpness to it. Yum...

I tend to wash all of this down with beer. It's BBQ. It's not time to be cute.

I didn't drink both of the these. The other is for Husband J. :)

If you get a chance to go to Blue Smoke, I tend to like going when it's warm. They open up the windows so that part of the restaurant is open air. You get views like this:

This large building is the Williamsburg Savings Bank Building, and it's the tallest building in Brooklyn. It was recently turned into condos (a very first decade of the 21st century thing to do in Brooklyn) and the ground floor event area, Skylight One Hanson, currently serves as the spot for the Brooklyn Flea during the winter. When I see this building, my heart warms because I know I am home or at least close by.

Right across the street from Smoke Joint, is 67 Burger. It offers everything from basic burgers to its own specialty burger creations, which can be made with turkey, veggie or regular old beef. One of my favorites has been the 67 Burger combining blue cheese and bacon. You can also build your own with toppings such as a crisp artichokes, cajun spice and avocados. There are no limits here. They serve beer and wine as well in case you don't want sodas or milkshakes. They also sell salad, but really why? It's a burger place. :)

This time around, I had The Southwestern burger: Chipotle mayo, Jack cheese, roasted peppers and scallions.

Can I say that 67 Burger's fries are fabulous, BUT the ones I got during this last trip were waaay too salty. This is coming from the woman who eats salt and pepper by themselves. Hello!

I also enjoy 67 Burger during the warmer months because you can eat outside. What I hate most about the winter is being cooped up, if you haven't figured that out already.

67' Burger's outdoor eating area. If you look closely you can see The Smoke Joint. :)

I do love this little corner of Fort Greene and the funny thing is that there are actually a couple of other places right on that corner worth a look, Mullane's being my favorite for decent bar food, beer and watching sports. I love this corner of Fort Greene!

I also know this is the New Year and many of you are focused on healthier eating after the holidays (including me), so I hope you don't mind that I wrote about BBQ and burgers. :)

Smoke Joint

87 South Elliot Place

Brooklyn, NY

67 Burger

67 Lafayette Avenue (at Fulton Street)

Brooklyn, NY

Hometown Tourist - Watching the NYC Marathon Brooklyn Style

I love the New York City Marathon. It's one of my favorite fall events in the city. It's usually my Halloween since for a variety of reasons I am not too into that holiday, and it's often within a week of the marathon. I don't know why the marathon makes me giddy. Maybe it's for the same reasons that I told you that I like sports. I like being active (to a point) and seeing others be active too. Yet my love for the marathon is also based on the idea of setting goals, achieving them and pushing yourself beyond what you think you can accomplish. I have always been touched, humbled and awed by the bravery of marathoners to put themselves out there in such a public way. The marathon always inspires me, and I usually get emotional at some point while I watch it (I watch the Ironman Triathlon almost every year on TV, and I am usually a bawling mess by the end).

Enough of my emotional drivel! :) I love being so close to a major NYC event too. Husband J and I live near a corner that makes it extremely easy to see the marathon each year, so we both are usually out cheering on runners early. Apparently, we live at approximately Mile 8. I just learned this yesterday!

I don't know about the other boroughs, but I think Brooklyn does a great job of cheering on the runners. As a matter of fact I overheard a man last year tell his friend, "You know, it's not really like this in other cities." :)

I mean a band playing at 9:30am in 40 degree weather?

In front of the Dunkin' Donuts, of course

You can buy their album on ITunes. The music was actually pretty decent.

Depending on the weather, I try to come prepared to watch. I usually stay out for a couple of hours. This year I had to be pretty vigilant since it was colder than in years past. I think it was in the low 40's at about 9am when I stepped outside.

A thermos full of hot chocolate! :)

Husband J had a little cap on and sunglasses. It was a gorgeously SUNNY day. If I remember correctly, I don't think it's ever rained on marathon day since I've watched.

I must really love you all to post this picture 'cause I look like a hot mess! The marathon organizers gave out these folding cardboard pieces that could be made into signs or these loud noise-making fans.

There are quite a few amenities for the runners close. Our location 1/3 of the way into the race would probably require a water break. I would need one at Mile 1!

A water station. I love the volunteers' windbreakers.

A medical station

Inside the medical tent. Edison Pena, the rescued Chilean miner who ran the marathon stopped into one of these in Manhattan before finally finishing.

We did notice a little bit of stepped up security this year. In the past at the early portions of the race, we were able to be really, really close to the first batch of runners (the Elite Men & Women aka the pros). This year, we were told to get on the sidewalk before ANY participants came by.

The police canine team was out this year too (never saw this before). That dog REALLY didn't like some people.

Being relegated to the sidewalk did mean one good thing: warm air vents! Nice!

Finally, it was time to see some marathon-ing. First out were the wheelchair and some other of the other participants with physical disabilities. I am most awed by their determination and physical strength.

Maybe one day, I'll be one of these guides.

At that point a sizable crowd had gathered.

There's definitely a different kind of buzz in the air when the Elite runners are about to pass by. First, there are police officers on motorcycles, but then there is a truck carrying the official time for the race.

While not up close and personal, we did get to see the pro runners.

Here's the first group of the Elite Women. If you can believe this, the woman who won, Edna Kiplagat of Kenya, is actually the woman wearing a white singlet all the way to the right and barely in this picture. Shalane Flanagan, wearing the white knee socks, was the top US finisher and came in 2nd place. Love the knee socks!

After a brief break, the men came by.

Yes, this is a blurry pic, but I wanted to show you the time. 39 minutes and 41 seconds. Wow! That's slow by NYC marathon standards actually. Crazy thought, ain't it?

This is all I could get of the Elite Men. They were that fast!

Then the masses came. :) My favorite thing to do is to call out peoples' names with words of encouragement. Often runners will wear T-shirts and singlets with their names on them. For the most part, I think they appreciate the shout out.

The NYC marathon is a really an international event, and the runners are often representing their countries pretty proudly or not taking themselves too seriously.

This guy in white and waving a Japanese flag ran the marathon in a swan costume. I like swans. :)

If I ever run the marathon, I want a nice big sign like this. I hope Thijs from the Netherlands appreciated this flag!

Every year, Husband J and I notice one of the local fire companies out cheering for one of New York's Bravest (local nickname for firefighters). We didn't see them for awhile, but they eventually showed up!

This is the flag of the Philippines.

Some runners actually managed to find their friends and family and drop things off like this guy! I wonder if I would have the presence of mind to even do that.

I guess this marathon was of even greater interest to me since I've started to run a little. The day before I had just finished 2.5 miles at a decent pace on the treadmill (Husband J and I ran the afternoon of the marathon too). I would not have been able to do that even a few months ago. Maybe my goal of a 5k is not as crazy as it seemed a few months ago.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed a look at one of my favorite NYC mornings in the fall.