Thursday May 20th

3pm

84 Stanton Street

After sending a few places from my “must try list” to The Wandering Foodie we decided on the recently open Meatball Shop in the Lower East Side for a late lunch. I read about it when it first opened, and the idea of being able to order meatballs at 4am was intriguing (the kitchen is open until 4am Thursday – Saturday, until 2am Sunday – Wednesday). If you didn’t guess from the name, meatballs are the specialty of the house. The space itself is small—a large communal table fills most of the dining room with a few tables running along the side wall and about a dozen seats at the bar. During warm weather there’s a few tables available outside as well. Fresh flowers are neatly arranged at each table, a chalkboard announces the specials of the day (featuring a daily meatball, sauce, side, salad and ice-cream) and black and white vintage family portraits line the red wall.

When you sit down you’re handed a laminated menu and a dry erase marker to make your selections. The menu is divided into 3 sections: Ala Carte Balls, Sandwiches – hero (served on a baugette) or sliders, and a meatball smash (served on a brioche bun).

How it works:

Step 1. Select ala carte, slider, hero or smash

Step 2. Select your meatball – chicken, beef, pork, vegetarian (made with lentils and walnuts) or special

Step 3. Choose a sauce – classic tomato, spicy beef, parmasean cream, mushroom or special

Step 4. Mozzarella or provolone

I love the idea of taking one food – the meatball – and creating an endless choice of options, but I guess this is why you get the dry erase marker in case you start to second guess. If you’re at a loss the wait staff will gladly offer up their recommendations and favorite combinations. These aren’t Mom’s meatballs (my Sicilian Mother and Grandmother used a mix of pork, veal and beef and simmered them in a tomato sauce with neck bones for flavor), but they were tender and delicious. I recommend trying the basil pesto (if available as the special) with a chicken meatball or the spicy beef with a beef meatball (beef on beef seems so gluttonous but tasted so good).

Tip: Don’t forget to save room for dessert! The ice-cream is made in-house and you can create a “custom” ice-cream sandwich from a choice of four types of cookies or a brownie.

Lunch

(I had a taste of each)

• Sliders – beef with spicy beef, special jambalaya with shrimp, andouille and rice with basil pesto (the only miss, was too salty and fishy), pork with mushroom, chicken with classic tomato
• Smash – chicken with basil pesto and mozzarella (my favorite)
• Side of white beans
• Special salad – arugula with asparagus and a creamy lemon vinagarette
• Market salad – arugula with apples
• House made tangerine, caramel and mint ice-cream with a ginger snap cookie on the side (We couldn’t come to a decision on a sandwich combination so ordered ala carte)

Good for: Meatballs, Endless Choices of Meatballs, Late Night Meatballs, Customizable Ice-Cream Sandwiches

Saturday May 1st

5pm
757 Fulton Street (Brooklyn)

I’ve always heard the grilled corn and margaritas at Café Habana in Soho were amazing, but the small space makes for long lines and I’ve never ventured over for that reason. A friend invited me to the Habana Outpost in Brooklyn to enjoy a few afternoon margaritas on the outdoor patio– but the long lines seem to have found their way across the river. We arrived (a quick drive from downtown and accessible from the 2/3, 4/5 or C) and my friend explained there’s two lines – one for food orders and one for drinks and grilled corn. The crowd was spilled into the street waiting, and we got on line for drinks. It moved quickly – but not that quickly. They offer buckets of beer but not pitchers of drinks, which is surprising since Sangrias and Mojitos go so well in a pitcher. I’d recommend ordering two because you’re not going to want to get back in line anytime soon. When ordering food or grilled corn you’re given a ticket to take to the “truck” – a repurposed street food truck that resides on the back patio and serves as the kitchen. It’s important to take the ticket to the truck right away because the cooks are flooded with orders and they get cranky when you wait.

Note: Habana Outpost is an eco-eatery which means they’ve incorporated green practices into the construction and day-to-day operations, including solar panels and a rainwater collection system. They also have a “human bike blender” where pedaling the bike causes the blender’s blade to spin, eliminating the need for a motor. If you pedal you get a $1 discount – plus burn of some of the calories from the margaritas!

Drinks

• Frozen Margarita
• Frozen Mojito

Snack

• Mexican-style Grilled Corn – slathered with a creamy concoction (perhaps a blend of butter and mayonnaise), rolled in cojito cheese, topped with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and served with a lime wedge. It really is worth the wait!

Their famed grilled corn is worth the wait!

Frozen margarita and frozen mojito – so good they offer a drink that’s a blend of both.

Two lines form at the door – one for drinks & corn only, the other for food

Good for: Grilled Corn, Human-powered bike blender, Margaritas and Mojitos, Outdoor Seating

Friday April 30th

10:30pm
425 West Street

Continuing the nautical theme, we decided to stop by the Rusty Knot on our way back downtown for a quick drink. The bar was opened by Spotted Pig owner Ken Friedman and Freemans owner Taavo Somer in 2008, but you may not realize it when ordering a 99 cent Busch on tap or a $4 can of Bud. The cocktails are served in tiki cups with paper umbrellas, and include classsics such as a Dark & Stormy, Zombie and Spiced Colada. Happy Hour is  Monday – Friday from 4-7pm, and Tuesday night is 2 for 1 all night (a bargain if you’re drinking the $12 cocktails). The food menu recently changed with the departure of chef Joaquin Baca (Momofuku) and the addition of chef Sue Torres (Sueño) - which will include more Latin inspired items such as Tacos al Pastor and Mango Lollipops (luckily the pretzel dogs remain). Unfortunately the menu on the wall had a masking tape “X” across it, and when we inquired the bartender said the kitchen was closed for the night “due to a malfunction”. I’ll definitely be back to try the Tacos al Pastor!

NOTE: The space is small and on peak nights the line can stretch down the block.

Cocktail:

• Dark & Stormy – dark rum, ginger beer, fresh lime juice served over ice

Drink menu and price board

Dark & Stormy

The nautical theme is kitschy and fun

Portal doors to the restrooms

GOOD FOR: DIVE BAR CHIC, PLAYING POOL, TIKI COCKTAILS, TRENDY, CHEAP BEERS, HAPPY HOUR

Sunday April 4th, 2010
1:30pm
146 Beekman Street

What better way to spend a sunny Easter Sunday than dining al fresco with an English Bulldog in tow. Fresh Salt seemed like a great option – there’s dog friendly outdoor seating (only a handful of tables) and a $10 prix-fixe brunch menu that features a choice of 9 entrees with a juice or coffee included. I’ve been here for lunch and the sandwiches are great, but brunch not so much. My omelette was completely overcooked (notice the golden brown hue in the photo below), as were my friend’s over-easy eggs (the yolk was just about fully cooked). The high point of the meal was my bloody mary, nice and spicy and served in a pint glass – however my friend’s mimosa was served in a small juice glass and cost $1 more than mine. The sunshine made up for it all, but I think next time I’ll stick to the daily happy hour  - from 4pm-8pm there’s $4 drafts and well drinks and $6 martinis and margaritas. The bar is open until 4am daily – a rarity in the Seaport area.

GOOD FOR: LUNCH, HAPPY HOUR, LATE NIGHT, OUTDOOR SEATING, NEIGHBORHOOD FAVORITE

Tuesday March 23, 2010
9pm
137 Avenue C

Whenever someone mentions the Sunburnt Cow I have hazy images of  going once for the “unlimited brunch” (aka drunk brunch). But tonight the group was going for dinner to take advantage of the $18 3 course prix-fixe. The vibe is mostly a bar scene, but there are a few tables in the back of the bar and a separate back room that’s open during weekend brunch rush. It was another rainy night in the City and our group took up two of the four tables in the back. Some of the more unique winter menu items include a Kangaroo Shepard’s Pie, Shark Pesto Pasta and Wild Boar Spare Ribs. There’s also a fun specialty drink list with 5 different kinds of “moo juice” to keep with the theme. If you’re feeling adventurous, they have a $20/2 hour happy hour.

Dinner

• Appetizer – Calamari
• Entree – Lamb burger with eggplant chutney and cucumber yogurt
• Dessert – Fruit Pavlova and the table shared a Lamington (both were good, but the lamington was my favorite)

GOOD FOR: HAPPY HOUR, PRIX-FIXE, UNLIMITED BRUNCH, AUSTRALIAN CUISINE, COCKTAILS, GROUPS