Hummus Place (New York, NY)

[ts]
For our NY trip, I left all the food research to JS. Apparently, there had been a rash of hummus places that have been popping up in the city.



[ts]
While we did plan to stop by one of these places during our NYC visit, we happened upon this location of Hummus Place by chance.



[ts]
We were having our slice of pizza from Bleecker Street Pizza when we turned our heads and voilà, there was Hummus Place!



[ts]
Look there, they also had shakshuka on the menu!

We had just eaten some pizza, but we figured we should get something from Hummus Place as well, since we were there already. We decided we should at least order their hummus (since that's the name of the place, after all!), and some falafels. How convenient that they had a special which included hummus and one appy!



[ts]
Falafels. I didn't expect them to be herb falafels because the menu didn't indicate so. But, I was pleasantly surprised. They had such a nice, vibrant green color! They were also smaller than falafels I've seen before; more crust to go around.



[ts]
Delicious.



[ts]
Hummus, served with pita. This is a smoother, more tahini-ish hummus than what we make. (Ours is more chickpea-ish, and very bold in garlic and lemon flavor.) We've seen a similar type of hummus described as Israeli hummus at Gaia Bistro in Vancouver (where we first discovered shakshuka).



[ts]
That there is hot sauce, also nice and green.



[ts]
Poor, poor delivery guy. Because businesses in Manhattan don't seem to have loading docks (or back/delivery entrances), this guy had to unload the goods from his truck one hand-cart at a time, and deliver them, one hand-cart at a time, to Hummus Place. He must have gone back and forth, to and from his truck to the kitchen at Hummus Place at least 15 times!

Manhattan seems to have a very hard landscape for wholesale delivery guys... and stockroom people. JS and I noticed that businesses usually have their storage underground, with those "holes in the ground" (as we called them) as the means of access. So hard.



[ts]
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Of the two items, we liked the falafels more, although the hummus was also nice. I wish there places like this here in Vancouver.


Hummus Place
New York, NY
http://www.hummusplace.com
Visited in August 2009

We ate all the food below -- and more -- in 4 days! Insane. See how: NYC Eating Extravaganza (August 2009)

[eatingclub] vancouver in New York
Rice to Riches
Shake Shack
Grom Gelato
Bleecker Street Pizza
New York Burger Co.
Ess-a-Bagel
Artichoke Basille's Pizza
Katz's Deli
Lombardi's Pizza
Hummus Place
Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man
Anthos
Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Amy Ruth's
wd-50
Taïm Falafel and Smoothie Bar
A Tale of Two Dogs: Gray's Papaya & Papaya King

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Lombardi's Pizza (New York, NY)

[ts]
Another NY pizza experience! Supposedly, Lombardi's serves the "Best on the Planet."



[ts]
We thought we could just get a slice here at Lombardi's, but it's a sit-down kind of place. Since we already made a special trip to get there, we went ahead and sat down.

It had quite a strange layout, the restaurant. We had to walk all the way to the back, go through the kitchen, then come into the other "wing" of the restaurant to our table. I guess that must be an added-on section to the restaurant.

Lombardi's was quite "fancy" too; at least, "fancier" than I expected. The interior was quite nice and inviting. The waitstaff all had walkie-talkies and headsets too. Front of house was very efficient.



[ts]
A couple of iced teas while we waited. And finally, the pizza!



[ts]
Of course, to test their pizza, we opted for the classic Margherita. This was the"small size" -- 14 inches!



[ts]
The pizza had a very nice crisp crust and was just plain good, overall.


pizza back

[ts]
Even though it was a bad idea to eat a whole pie (this was neither lunchtime nor dinnertime), we enjoyed it nonetheless.


Lombardi's Pizza
New York, NY
http://www.firstpizza.com
Visited in August 2009

We ate all the food below -- and more -- in 4 days! Insane. See how: NYC Eating Extravaganza (August 2009)

[eatingclub] vancouver in New York
Rice to Riches
Shake Shack
Grom Gelato
Bleecker Street Pizza
New York Burger Co.
Ess-a-Bagel
Artichoke Basille's Pizza
Katz's Deli
Lombardi's Pizza
Hummus Place
Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man
Anthos
Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Amy Ruth's
wd-50
Taïm Falafel and Smoothie Bar
A Tale of Two Dogs: Gray's Papaya & Papaya King

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Taiwanese Stewed Minced Pork Noodles (魯肉麵; 肉燥麵) with Stewed Eggs and Pickled Mustard Greens

[js]
I came across some fresh "jewel wide noodles" being sold at T&T the other day and my first thought was Taiwanese beef noodle soup.

I absolutely love thick, chewy noodles in my beef noodle soup.



[js]
Our version of Taiwanese beef noodle soup would have to wait, though, as we can't seem to get ourselves "mentally prepared" to make it. So, I re-purposed these noodles for another "taste of Formosa" application.

I cooked my old go-to dish of Taiwanese stewed ground pork sauce and stewed some eggs as well.

Recipe for Taiwanese Stewed Minced Pork
Recipe for Taiwanese Stewed Eggs



[ts]
Of course, this dish wouldn't be complete without suan cai (pickled mustard greens) added into the mix.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suan_cai

We made pickled mustard greens before (for our Pig Trotter and Suan Cai Soup), but we wanted a version that's more similar to the pickled greens we have at Taiwanese establishments. So, to make this batch, we used not only vinegar, salt and water, but sugar as well.


QQ goodness!

[ts]
We blanched/cooked the noodles, tossed them with the stewed minced pork and ate them with suan cai and stewed eggs.

Bliss.



Some more "tastes" of Formosa
Taiwanese Stewed Eggs (滷蛋) with Stewed Minced Pork (魯肉 or 肉燥)
Taiwanese Stewed Minced Pork Noodles (魯肉麵; 肉燥麵) with Stewed Eggs and Pickled Mustard Greens
Sautéed Minced Clams and Leek
Gua Bao 刮包 ("Taiwanese Burger", or Pork Belly Buns)

Taiwan trip 2009
Taiwanese Bakery Goods (including ChiaTe Bakery)
Dan Shui 淡水, Taiwan (including food)
Taipei Quick Eats: Mos Burger, Hong Ya Breakfast, Ay Chung Flour-Rice Noodle
Taipei Convenience Store Foods
Shilin Night Market 士林夜市 (Taipei, Taiwan)
Breakfast Buffet at the Shangri-La (Taipei, Taiwan)
Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup, 4 versions (Taipei, Taiwan)
Yehliu 野柳 Geopark; Dried Seafood (Taiwan)

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_cuisine#Typical_dishes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_egg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_egg

Home-cured Corned Beef Sandwich

home-cured corned beef sandwich, with pickles and mustard

[js]
I was never much of a corned beef and pastrami fan until a couple of good sandwiches set me straight.

In previous trials of both corned beef and pastrami from long-forgotten joints, I always found the meats too salty for my liking, the salt, nitrates, and/or nitrites killing whatever flavour there was supposed to be savoured. I felt I was going into sodium shock after ingesting these sandwiches.

I loved Katz's pastrami and liked Kaplan's corned beef sandwiches enough that they put pastrami and corned beef back into the rotation of my food cravings.

I don't get pastrami-corned beef cravings often -- but the point is, now I do get them, as opposed to not getting any before. Prior to six months ago, I've gone more than ten years without any desire for either pastrami and/or corned beef.



[js]
When I saw a small pieces of beef brisket being sold, I immediately thought of making corned beef or pastrami. I grabbed a couple of pieces, totalling approximately 5 pounds.

Personally, I like pastrami more than corned beef, but corning beef seemed more attainable than making pastrami at this point so I went with corned beef. I didn't want to fiddle with the grill outside.

It was quite easy corning the beef -- just a matter of measuring out ingredients for the brining solution and a matter of hoping for the best, as the meat would have to be left in the fridge for three weeks.

After 3 weeks, I took out the corned beef and simmered them for about an hour and a half. I didn't want them to be fall-apart tender as they still needed to be sliced.

TS cut the pieces a little too thick!
(She probably won't be able to handle being a cutter at Katz.)

[ts]
I was trying to emulate the thickness at Katz's! Their meat wasn't sliced super-thin (it wasn't thin like those packaged deli meats). Also, the meat was cold when I sliced it, so the result was very blocky-looking slices.

[js]
I'm very satisfied with the flavour of my corned beef, although I'm not satisfied about the colour. Because I did not use saltpeter or prague powder, the colour was brownish-gray and does not look very appetizing. Next time, perhaps I will buy some curing powder so my meat will still be that nice appetizing, pink colour.

We didn't have rye bread either so had to make do with some supermarket bread. I didn't have time to bake a deli-style rye bread, but should have.



[js]
After having a couple of sandwiches, we still had quite a bit of corned beef left. I cut up the corned beef into small pieces and sauteed them with some onions and added cabbage. It made a nice ulam with rice.

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Recipe
Corned Beef

5 lbs beef brisket

4 liters water
1.5 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
8 cloves
8 allspice berries
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
6 bay leaves

Bring water to a boil. Add salt and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer until both dissolves. Add the rest of the ingredients and take off from heat. Wait for the brining liquid to cool.

Put the beef brisket in the brining liquid, making sure that the beef is entirely submerged in the water. (Being completely submerged in water, I did not have to turn the beef brisket pieces over every week.)

Wait for 3 weeks.

To cook corned beef, just put corned beef in water to boil and simmer until desired tenderness.

Katz's Deli (New York, NY)

Katz's deli pastrami on rye in my carry-on tote

[ts]
We couldn't leave New York without trying a pastrami sandwich from Katz's Deli now, could we?

Actually, we didn't have enough days in New York to do a lot, including squeezing in a meal at Katz's. So, we dropped by the night before our flight and bought a sandwich to-go.



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The place was packed!

I must say, they do have a weird ordering system: there's that thing with the ticket they hand you, then there's the separate "service" for take-out and sit-down, then there's lining up at a specific cutter. Very strange.

"Each cutter has his own line," a sign says.



[ts]
So, we picked a cutter. I assume that regulars would have a favorite cutter?


our cutter

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Our cutter was really nice, and inadvertently posed for a photograph as I was trying to take a picture of what he was doing. ;)

JS must have been really tired or whatever, as she failed to get the meat and bread packed separately for our take-out pastrami on rye.

Oh well.

So, we got our sandwich and went on our merry way. For the plane ride the next day, I packed each sandwich half separately, packed the pickles separately, packed a lot of napkins for what I assume would be a messy affair, and packed more pieces of bread (just regular ol' white sandwich bread, though).



[ts]
I couldn't wait for the plane ride, so I partook in some of the sandwich while waiting at the airport. That's my luggage right there.



[ts]
It was a satisfying sandwich. The meat was nice and juicy, and not at all overly-salty like I feared it would be. Although, unlike JS, I don't get unusual cravings for pastrami sandwiches.

In any case, I had to stop myself from finishing all of it so I would something to eat on the plane. There's my airplane meal. That on the left in the black container? Well, that's leftover duck meat from wd-50.

This is much better fare that your standard airplane food.

Read about Chowtimes.com's visit to Katz's and view much better photographs: http://chowtimes.com/2007/12/14/new-york-katzs-delicatessen

Katz's Delicatessen
New York, NY
http://www.katzdeli.com
Visited in August 2009

We ate all the food below -- and more -- in 4 days! Insane. See how: NYC Eating Extravaganza (August 2009)

[eatingclub] vancouver in New York
Rice to Riches
Shake Shack
Grom Gelato
Bleecker Street Pizza
New York Burger Co.
Ess-a-Bagel
Artichoke Basille's Pizza
Katz's Deli
Lombardi's Pizza
Hummus Place
Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man
Anthos
Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Amy Ruth's
wd-50
Taïm Falafel and Smoothie Bar
A Tale of Two Dogs: Gray's Papaya & Papaya King

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Bangus Belly à la Bistek (Milkfish Belly with Onions, Calamansi and Soy Sauce)

[js]
Our Auntie V was kind enough to gift us with several packs of boneless bangus (milkfish) belly from her recent trip to the Philippines.



[js]
These Sarangani Bay Bangus Belly packs are ultra-convenient -- no mess, no fuss -- and lookee here! They've even included a recipe at the back of the package: fish belly bistek.

Bistek is the classic Filipino dish of beef and caramelized onions flavored with calamansi and soy sauce.

Here is our version: Bistek

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bistek
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamansi



[js]
This "fish belly bistek" seemed like an easier and no-less-tasty alternative to frying up the bangus belly (for daing na bangus, or "maasim na bangus", as we call it), so we decided to go with it.



[js]
I proceeded to slice some onions for the dish.

[ts]
After all, this is another entry into this month's edition of Weekend Wokking! We have to make up for the months we missed.

[js]
I was doing auto-pilot and forgot that I was supposed to slice the onions into rings. What we have instead are half-rings here.

I also thawed out some kalamansi purée from the freezer for use in the dish.



[ts]
As you may have gathered from reading the recipe on the packet, this dish was really easy to make.

We cooked some garlic and half of the sliced onions in oil, until the onions were wilted. We didn't caramelize them like we usually do with our classic beef bistek.

Then, the tomatoes went in next. After a minute of cooking, we added soy sauce, calamansi juice, and just the tiniest amount of water.

(JS and I spell kalamansi/calamansi differently! Teehee.)

The bangus bellies went in, we boiled the liquid and let the dish simmer. We also added the rest of the onions at this point. Now, it was just waiting for the bellies to cook through.



[ts]
Now, don't be alarmed, but the black portion of the bangus bellies is their fat. Well, actually, it's just a thin membrane covering their fat, which is a white color. Some people love that fish fat part.

I chopped one more tomato for garnish and to add a fresher tomato dimension to the dish.



[js]
The bangus belly à la bistek was a hit!

We all loved the sweet onion half-rings, the tender fish, and that unmistakeable scent and flavour of kalamansi.

[ts]
In fact, I think I may prefer bistek made with bangus now, rather than with beef. That intoxicating aroma of calamansi shines through much truer and cleaner here. Also, I found that I didn't need to add any sugar whatsoever to this dish (an ingredient I use when making beef bistek).



[ts]
Actually, I think I just love the combination of onions and calamansi (with a hint of soy sauce). I actually dispensed with eating the bangus most of the time, just loading up my plate with the onions!

[js]
Thank you, Auntie V, for the bangus bellies filling up our bellies!

[ts]
We still have one more onion dish in mind; hopefully we'll have time to make that one.

Other dishes with bangus (milkfish)
Bulalo and Bangus: an even Simpler Filipino Meal
Sardinas na Bangus (Milkfish in the style of Sardines)

Recipe
Bangus Belly à la Bistek (Milkfish Belly with Onions, Calamansi and Soy Sauce)
adapted from the "Fish Belly Bistek" recipe on the back of Sarangani Bay Boneless Milkfish Belly package

1 kg boneless milkfish bellies
6-12 cloves garlic, sliced/chopped
2 large onions, sliced
1 medium tomato, large dice
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons calamansi juice
1/4 cup water
salt & black pepper

Divide sliced onions into two parts: some onions will be very wilted, while others will retain more "crunch".

In a pan or pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic until golden brown. Add one part of the sliced onions and cook until just wilted or until caramelized, your choice. Add the tomato and cook for about a minute.

Add soy sauce, calamansi juice and water. Add the bangus bellies and the remaining onions. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat. Cover the pot and simmer until the fish is cooked through. Adjust seasoning (salt and pepper).

Serve with white rice.

**Feel free to substitute the bangus with another type of fish, preferably a fatty fish like mackerel or sardines.

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eatingclub vancouver Weekend Wokking posts:
Ravioli "Caprese": Tomato, Basil, Bocconcini
Eggplant "Clafouti"
Bibingka
Pumpkin Congee w/ Pumpkin "Beignets" & Sesame-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese w/ Pipián Verde
Adobo Mushroom Tart
Duck and Orange Crêpes with Orange-White Wine Sauce
Almond Eggplant "Bisteeya" (Bastilla)
"Mashed Potato Beef Burger" (Red-skinned Potato Salad in Taiwanese Sacha Cheeseburger)
Korean Soybean Sprouts Pancake (Kongnamul Jeon)
Lemon Chamomile Tiramisu
Cilantro Horchata
Strawberry Cilantro Salsa, on Grilled Flank Steak
Duck Enchiladas with Chipotle Peanut Salsa
Clear Oxtail Soup with Corn, Cabbage and Potatoes
Beijing Pickled Cabbage
Salsa Romesco ("Queen of the Catalan Sauces!")
Aguadito de Pollo (Peruvian Chicken Soup)
Bangus Belly à la Bistek (Milkfish Belly with Onions, Calamansi and Soy Sauce)
White Pork with Garlic Sauce, Two Ways (蒜泥白肉)
Mr. Zheng's Soupy Tomatoes and Eggs with Tofu (蕃茄雞蛋跟豆腐)
Steamed Fish and Tofu with Chinese Black Beans
Spinach and Cheese with Puff Pastry, Three Ways

We're submitting this recipe to Weekend Wokking, a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks celebrating the multiple ways we can cook one ingredient.

The host this month is Christine of Kits Chow.

If you would like to participate or to see the secret ingredient, check who's hosting next month.

Check out all Weekend Wokking Roundups.

Chicken-Roasted Potatoes

[ts]
One day, pressed for time, JS did a quickie roast of some chicken legs and thighs, coating them with olive oil and seasoning them with salt and a blend of dried "Italian herbs": rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano.



[ts]
As usual, her roast chicken parts were quite the hit.

[js]
After plating the roast chicken parts, I looked at the chicken fat that was sitting in the pan. Looked at it quite longingly, in fact, thinking of putting all that chicken-y goodness to some delicious use.

I couldn't bear to throw the fat away, so I left the pan as is, for use the next day.



[js]
The next day, I bought some potatoes and asked TS to cook the potatoes in the chicken fat.

[ts]
I simply cut up some potatoes, put them in the chicken-fatty pan, making sure they were all coated with the chicken-fatty goodness, and roasted them. The potatoes were also graced with some salt and a generous amount of lemon juice (because we do love our lemon potatoes).



[js]
Clean up was so easy, as the potatoes did a lot of the work for me.

[ts]
These potatoes were very, very good. Nobody should put good chicken fat to waste. I may have liked them better than the chicken, I dare say.



[ts]
So, the secret ingredient for great roasted potatoes? Chicken! =)

Some [eatingclub] vancouver Potato dishes
Potatoes Simmered in Miso (Jaga-imo Miso-ni)
Duck Shepherd's Pie, or "Duck Coop Pie"
Greek Caper Salad
Duck Fat Potatoes
"Mashed Potato Beef Burger" (Red-skinned Potato Salad in Taiwanese Sacha Cheeseburger)
Chinese "Stuffed Pancakes" with Potato & Garlic Chive Filling
Mama's Giniling (Soy-braised Ground Pork with Potatoes & Carrots)
Tacos of Carnitas with Pineapple, Roasted Salsa and Sweet Potato
Stuffed Giant Squid, Two Ways
Beef Kaldereta (Beef Stew with Bell Peppers)
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale & Potato Soup)
Moroccan Chicken Tagine

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Ess-a-Bagel (New York, NY)

[ts]
A New York bagel! We had to have one, right?



[ts]
We ordered an everything bagel with cream cheese, and a coffee. (I think the banana was our own, but I don't remember.)



[ts]
The bagel was huge! I can now say for certain that I have never had a New York bagel prior to this. Very chewy; it will definitely fill you up.




Ess-a-Bagel
New York, NY
http://www.ess-a-bagel.com
Visited in August 2009

We ate all the food below -- and more -- in 4 days! Insane. See how: NYC Eating Extravaganza (August 2009)

[eatingclub] vancouver in New York
Rice to Riches
Shake Shack
Grom Gelato
Bleecker Street Pizza
New York Burger Co.
Ess-a-Bagel
Artichoke Basille's Pizza
Katz's Deli
Lombardi's Pizza
Hummus Place
Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man
Anthos
Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Amy Ruth's
wd-50
Taïm Falafel and Smoothie Bar
A Tale of Two Dogs: Gray's Papaya & Papaya King

Enjoyed this post? Why not subscribe to our blog? Subscribe via reader or subscribe via email. Thank you!