American, Burgers, Press Reviews, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews, West Village

The Malt House

December 29, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I came to this cool village joint for a press dinner.

The interior is like an old world tavern, with lots of exposed brick, warm tones and wood beams on the ceiling.

The beer selection is really great, both on tap and in bottles/cans.

Chef Armando cut his teeth at STK and Five Napkin Burger before taking on the executive chef role at both this Malt House location and the newly opened, massive Financial District location.

The bar room is really well apportioned, with an L-shaped stretch that also has some tabletop seating nearby. At happy hour they offer nice food selections and cheap drink options, along with dollar oysters! There’s also a full menu at the bar for the other eats, and they offer flights of beer (four for $10), American whiskey and Scotch whisky.

Here’s what we had on our press tasting:

All the apps came out on a big platter, with the exception of the mussels, of course:

The onion rings had a nice bacon flavor to them. They were fluffy without being too bready, and the onion inside was cooked through.

The baked, fried and grilled wings were excellent – the best of the “fried stuff,” for sure. They had a mild buffalo spiced roquefort sauce on them, but that didn’t take away any of the crisp to the skin.

One of the more unique items on the menu is the fried cheese curds. You just don’t see them all that much around here. They were like small bite-sized bits of “cheese sticks,” only less melty and more airy and bready.

The fried pickles were crispy as hell! They were sliced paper thin first, and then battered and fried. These went nicely with the homemade ranch sauce.

The ranch sauce, by the way, was the best of the three sauces we had (the other two: a house sauce that was similar to thousand island, and a chipotle mayo).

The star of the openers, however, was the crock of mussels that were steamed in a sauce made from roasted tomatoes, chorizo, garlic, herbs (rosemary, for one) and white wine. Delicious.

Chef Armando hits back to back home runs with the burger and the mahi mahi tacos when it comes to the entrees.

The burger is a blend of short rib, chuck and brisket that makes for a tender, juicy and superbly flavorful patty of beef. Topped with onion marmalade, pickles, bacon, lettuce, red onion and cheese, you really can’t go wrong.

The fries on the side, however, were a little bit lacking in comparison to the incredible burger. Not as crispy as I like, and a little heavy on the grease flavor. The truffle fries had a better crisp to them, but I didn’t get much of the truffle flavor, and they were cut a little thicker than I like for French fries.

The tacos are super refreshing, with really nicely cooked fish and fresh ingredients. I’d definitely go back for these.

We seriously tasted an astonishing amount of food on this press event. Next was the open-faced strip steak sandwich on a French baguette, topped with melty gruyere, red onion and arugula.

The steak was pre-sliced but thick, making it good for the open-faced, knife-and-fork format.

The lobster mac and cheese was topped with a generous portion of lobster claw and tail meat, and it had the flavor of truffle oil to bring some earthiness into the dish.

We even tried a salad with grilled chicken. Pretty good. It was nicely dressed and the chicken breast was perfectly cooked.

For dessert, we sampled both the creme brûlée and the chocolate cake. My favorite between the two was the creme brûlée. It was smooth and creamy, nice and evenly textured.

The chocolate cake was served warm, with a scoop of house made vanilla on the side.

The cake was slightly dry, but the ice cream was a good way balance that: eat some ice cream with each bite of cake, and problem solved.

But what can I say: The Cake Dealer really spoils me when it comes to cake and bake.

To sum up: I’ll definitely be back here for some drinks, burgers and tacos. Great shit. Awesome US craft beer selection (like Bourbon County) that rotates out often, and excellent burgers. Most likely I will come for happy hour and indulge in some dollar oysters too.

THE MALT HOUSE
206 Thompson St.
New York, NY 10012

Commentary, Product Reviews

Ginvent Calendar

December 24, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Drinks by the Dram offers up some amazing holiday gift sets. In particular is their line of advent calendars filled with beautifully crafted glass dram jars of booze. You can choose from whisky, rum, vodka, cognac, tequila, bourbon, absinthe, armagnac, mezcal and gin (original and botanical), along with “premium,” “old” and “rare” versions of some, which contain an even better selection of drams than that which is already inside the standard versions. I can’t praise these guys enough; what they’re doing is ground breaking.

I’ve already chronicled my love of their whisky advent calendars (I’ve tried both the standard and the premium, thanks to my amazing wife), but this year I completed the “ginvent” calendar. On December 1st, my wife gave me this incredible early Christmas gift:

Day 1: Edinburgh Gin – peppery and crisp, florals release when shaken with ice.

Day 2: Filliers Dry Gin 28 – dry, very nice for a martini

Day 3: Hayman’s Old Tom Gin – citrus / sweet lemon botanicals

Day 4: Tarquins Handcrafted Cornish Gin – smooth, medium botanicals

Day 5: Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin – Strong as FUCK – difficult to drink near at room temperature, heavy on the juniper/evergreen flavor and aroma, but shaking this up with ice really tames the flavors into a wonderful cold-sipping gin

Day 6: Two Birds London Dry Gin – really smooth and clean, especially when shaken with ice – my favorite so far.

Day 7: Darnley’s View Gin – nice and smooth, even neat and at room temperature – would be great in a martini, slightly peppery.

Day 8: Dangley’s No. 8 Distilled London Gin – good amount of coriander and lemon peel.

Day 9: Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin – tasted of slight bitterness and spice, definitely dry!

Day 10: St. George Terroir Gin – strong flavor and aroma of the woods, tree bark, pine needles and sap.

Day 11: Fifty Pounds Gin – this is my all-time favorite gin, and 11 happens to be my favorite number – its dry, has a little spice to it, super clean and crisp – excellent for either sipping neat or for an ice cold martini.

Day 12: Warner Edwards Harrington Dry Gin – so I guess these gins have brand names like law firm partnership names – this one was clean and crisp after a shake with ice, but I wasn’t crazy about it neat at room temperature.

Day 13: Da Mhile Farmhouse Botanical Gin – fragrant with florals on the nose, generous citrus peel / lemon rind and coriander flavors.

Day 14: Elephant Dry Gin – strong, spiced, very nice for dry martinis.

Day 15: FEW Barrel Aged Gin – amber coloring, like a whisky, with a slight whisky flavor to it from the aging process – fantastic gin!

Day 16: Death’s Door Gin 2011 Harvest – taste was clean, crisp and strong.

Day 17: Pickering’s Gin – tasted smooth, crisp and dry, with a hint of juniper and citrus.

Day 18: Hendrick’s Gin – one of my top choices, this is a dry gin that’s excellent for a high quality martini. Unfortunately I let a few days build up so my photo here is from a catch-up day of several gins. And no, I’m not a pussy. I was busy drinking other shit on those missed days.

Day 19: Dodd’s Gin (The London Distillery Company) – taste is heavy with juniper and pine, but not overpoweringly strong in the alcohol bite. Drink with ice or cold.

Day 20: Whitley Neill Handcrafted Dry Gin – this stuff is fantastic. I first became aware of this gin at a bar show in the Javitz Center a while back when I first started drinking gin. It has unique flavorings inspired by African botanicals like gooseberry, cassia bark, angelica root, florentine iris and baobab fruit, as well as the standard coriander, lemon peel, orange peel and juniper berries. The silhouette of a grand baobab tree is actually on the label as their logo. This gin is a surprisingly refreshing new take on the standard style London dry gin. Drink neat if you like!

Day 21: Pinkster Gin – the gin actually has a slight pink hue to it, as you can somewhat see in the image above. It’s really light, at 37.5% alcohol, but with a spicy kick. I drank it neat at room temperature, but I imagine it would be great cold, on the rocks, in a martini or in a mixed drink.

Day 22: Professor Cornelius Ampleforth’s Bathtub Gin – crisp and dry, very nice when taken cold, shaken with ice. Somewhat like a good Beefeater or Hendricks.

Day 23: Citadelle Gin – flavor comes with a nice black peppercorn hit, but with a nice scent of lemon peel on the nose. I enjoyed this neat, at room temperature.

Day 24: Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin – tasted more botanical and bitter than I expected, but the scent was a pleasant citrus lemon. Much better, and more mild, when shaken with ice.

Education

Guide to NYC Food Halls

December 23, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Food halls are becoming a big thing in NYC. At these places, you’ll find tons of small booths or kiosks, typically inhabited by some of NYC’s top restaurants or food merchants. In the last few years there has been an explosion of these joints popping up all over, with big-named chefs and celebs like Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali throwing their weight behind the idea (yes, that’s a fat joke about Mario). This page is your resource for exploring them. Essentially it’s just a list, with an occasional link for the ones that I’ve visited and decided to write about in the past:

Berg’n
Broadway Bites (seasonal)
Chelsea Market
City Kitchen
Columbus Circle Holiday Market (seasonal)
Eataly
Eataly Downtown
Essex Street Market
Flushing Underground Food Mall
Food Hall Industry City
Gansevoort Market
Grand Central Terminal
Gotham West Market
Hester Street Fair
Hudson Eats
K-Town Food hall
Le District
Madison Square Eats (semi-annual)
Nordic Food Hall Grand Central
Penn Plates (seasonal)
The Pennsy
The Plaza Food Hall
Reading Terminal Market (Philadelphia)
Smorgasburg
Todd English Food Hall
TurnStyle
Union Square Greenmarket
Union Square Holiday Market (seasonal)
Urban Space Vanderbilt
Urban Space Garment District

COMING SOON:

Anthony Bourdain’s food market at Pier 57 (August 2016)
Danny Meyer’s food hall at Hudson Yards
Dekalb Market Hall (currently closed)

Full Points for Flavor, Midtown East, Porterhouse, Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews, Upper East Side

Blu on Park

December 21, 2015 Johnny Prime 5 Comments

Blu on Park overall score: 90

NOTE: THIS PLACE IS NOW CLOSED

This joint just opened up on 60th Street, just east of Park (not actually ON Park, but close enough). Owner Amir is having a great first few weeks after opening, with a packed house on most nights. Chef Russell slings the food here, after doing a 12 year stint at The Boathouse in Central Park. Impressive.

Flavor: 10
I ate here with my wife, sister in law and brother in law, so we got to try a good amount of food. For our steaks, we went with a 40oz tomahawk rib eye for two, as well as a porterhouse for two. Let me first discuss the tomahawk:

This fucker was cooked perfectly. You can see that nice bright pink medium rare awesomeness stretch from end to end. The crust had ample and robust seasoning, which was kept simple to course salt and cracked pepper. Even the far end of the fat cap was still a perfect medium rare; I was really impressed with that.

The porterhouse was similarly pro-executed. In fact, in the first few bites, we couldn’t readily identify which side was which between the filet and the strip – THAT’S how tender the strip side was!

On second glance it’s clear that the top is strip and the bottom is filet, but the filet side was quite generous.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 10
Blu offers two sizes of filet, two sizes of rib eye, multiple sizes of porterhouse and a strip. Everything is aged for about 28 days (with the exception of the filet) and is prime quality. These babies come from Master Purveyors in the Bronx. I’m familiar with their products and I can tell you they are top notch.

Portion Size & Plating: 10
Portions are all generous here, from apps on up the chain to entrees and desserts. The plating is simple and elegant, no fuss.

Price: 8
The prices here seem to be on par with other steakhouses in the area. It was a hefty bill, but I didn’t feel ripped off. In fact, it was the opposite: I was really happy with the meal and was happy to fork over money for a well-worth-it meal.

Bar: 8
This place puts up some really great cocktails, and it has a killer selection of scotches, like Ardbeg Uigeadail – a super smoky and peat-infused islay whisky.

The bar is a beautiful black quartz topped stretch that is clean and chic, with gorgeous high tops and seating nearby.

Definitely a cool place to hang out, especially with cocktail napkins like these – haha!

Specials and Other Meats:7
There were no specials just yet, as the joint is pretty much brand new! The only other selection aside from beef was veal – the rest is seafood. I don’t mind that one bit – it’s just one spot where I need to deduct some points.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8
We tried some oysters and the beef carpaccio for starters. Both were incredible. The oysters were west coasters that were meaty, clean and crisp:

The carpaccio was filet that was sliced thin and topped with some watercress greens, meyer lemon, crispy fried artichokes and shaved cheese. Great way to prime up for more meat.

For sides, we went with creamed spinach, whipped potatoes and roasted king oyster mushrooms. Let’s start with the best – the mushrooms.

I typically pass on mushroom sides at steakhouses because they generally seem to be a huge waste of money. They’re usually some crappy-ass button mushrooms that are overly buttery and mixed with onions. They may taste fine, but I can do that at home for $3. Here, the king oyster mushrooms, first off, are expensive and more rare. Second, they’re meaty and earthy, a great compliment to a piece of steak. They roast them with garlic here and they come out absolutely perfect. Third/last, at just $12 I find this to be a great buy. I’ve seen these ‘shrooms go for $24-$32/lb in some grocery stores. They also offer these “unsliced” and with a few other sides as a main, vegan option entree. Great idea.

The creamed spinach was a bit lacking for me, but my wife and I both agreed that we enjoyed the texture, which was broken up here and there with some crispness.

The mashed potatoes, which I didn’t photograph, were creamy and smooth, but they were nothing to necessarily write home about. When I visit again, I’ll stick with the mushrooms and maybe try the french fries instead.

For dessert we shared a key lime pie that was more like a layer cake than pie. My wife and I really enjoyed the change-up for this dish. The cake had an almost nutty quality, with the texture of carrot cake. It came with a scoop of coconut sorbet that was really icy and mild – not too sweet.

The manager, Carlos, was a real gentleman. He sent over a complimentary glass of after dinner dessert port for each of us, as well as a follow up reception at the bar with glasses of champagne and a cheese platter! We were blown away.

If you lack a sweet tooth, like I sometimes do, then this cheese plate is the way to go. The blue cheese on there is incredible! Especially when you mix bites alongside the fig cake.

Seafood Selection: 10
There’s a shitload of awesome, fresh fish on the menu. Salmon, branzino, sea bass, tuna and lobster all grace the menu in entree format. The apps are chock full of shellfish offerings (as mentioned above), and the plateau selections looked amazing.

Service: 10
I already mentioned Carlos’ amazing hospitality above, but I have to say that everyone here is great. All the way from owner to management, from front to back and the bar in between. Our waiter, Johnny, was a real gent (nice name too). And everyone was dressed really nice and sharp – waiters had nice suits with bow ties, and the table service was highly attentive without being in-your-face all the time. Well done guys!

The bread was warm and fresh – olive stick or white dinner roll – and the butter was soft and easily spreadable.

Ambiance: 9
Amir has curated an absolutely incredible renovation from what was once a Chinese food restaurant and an office space into a really elegant and inviting two-floor steak joint. The downstairs is perfect for hanging out and sipping cocktails. Up a half a floor is a nice small dining area with a fireplace and high ceilings, with impressive wine shelving all over the walls.

Then up another half level is a long stretch of beautiful dining space that overlooks a huge full-front-of-the-building window and nicely painted exposed brick walls. There’s even a small private dining room that can probably seat about 20 for events.

GREAT new spot. Check it out and tell them I sent you.

BLU ON PARK
116 E. 60th St.
New York, NY 10022

Product Reviews

Columbus Salame Secchi

December 20, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I just posted another salami review where I noted that Trader Joe’s always hits the mark, it seems, in providing high quality for low cost. This Columbus brand “Salame Secchi” is no exception:

This was mild and lean, hard and dry.

It sliced easy and had a great, slightly sweet flavor to it.

I initially went to Trader Joe’s to try their truffle salami, but they were all out. I picked this up, along with the Volpi sopressata, just because I was craving hard meat (commence jokes).

I was definitely happy with the purchase. This style ran me $8 for 9oz. That’s not bad at all.

Product Reviews

Volpi Sopressata

December 20, 2015 Johnny Prime 3 Comments

Once again Trader Joe’s offers up a high quality product for low cost. This Volpi brand log of Italian style sopressata cost me only $5 for 8oz, and I was thoroughly pleased:

It had a peppery flavor, not too lean and not too fatty.

It was a wet style salami, as opposed to dry and super hard. This was a bit softer, easier to slice than other hard, cured meats:

I highly recommend, plus it hails from St. Louis, a known meat town.

Recipes

Steak Sauce Martini

December 16, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I came across an amazing drink that Chef Admir from Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse whipped up for the holiday season. It’s called the Steak Sauce Martini.

Ingredients

1oz Bourbon
1oz Eggnog
1oz White Chocolate Liqueur
1oz Frangelico
1/4 teaspoon Steak Sauce
1 Strip of Bacon (for stirring)

Directions

Smear the steak sauce on the inside of a chilled martini glass.
In a shaker with ice, add bourbon, eggnog, white chocolate liqueur and Frangelico.
Shake and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with strip of bacon.

If its too much work for you to make at home, then take a trip over to Ben & Jacks to try it out.

Ramen

Mentoku

December 13, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This joint just opened up a month ago on 9th Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets.

Some things that caught my eye were that they served Hakata style ramen, which I am generally a fan of (thick, pork bone soup), and they also offer a matcha ramen, which sounded really unique. My wife and I tried them both.

First the green tea matcha ramen:

My wife got the lunch special deal for $12, which comes with a side of flavored rice (or extra noodles). This is the wasabi rice, with dried bonito flakes:

Watch them wiggle!!!

Anyway back to the ramen. This was very light (vegetarian), but it had an interesting, savory green tea flavor to it.

Very good for those looking to get a ramen fix but cut the calories in the process. It came topped with bamboo shoots, mushrooms, scallions and what I think was some kind of bready, fried tofu cake.

The flat, straight noodles were excellent. That goes for both bowls, too. However the Hakata style ramen was a bit too thin for my liking, despite the mushrooms being nice.

You choose bamboo shoots or mushrooms, for some reason. To get both is extra, like the egg.

Egg was perfect, but the pork was just one slice and very chewy. Bummer there.

There was still one other ramen bowl that I wanted to try, with a yuzu paste involved, so I’ll be back, for sure. I just don’t think this broth is thick enough for my Hakata, tonkotsu fix.

MENTOKU
744 9th Ave
New York, NY 10019

Recipes

Spaghetti Pie

December 13, 2015 Johnny Prime 4 Comments

This shit was a staple in my household when I was growing up. It’s really easy to make, and it’s something not many people have eaten. My mom used to make it with just the cheese, spices, eggs and spaghetti, but I decided to take it to the next level with some other shit. Here’s how it goes:

SHIT YOU NEED (Mom’s Way)

1 Pound of Spaghetti
1 Dozen Eggs
6oz Grated Parmesan cheese
Basic Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, crushed red pepper, etc)
Half Stick of Butter

SHIT YOU MAY WANT TO ADD (My Way)

1 Bag of Baby Spinach
8oz Imitation Crab Meat (or the real deal if it’s in the budget)
6oz Mozzarella Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Smear the half stick of butter all over the inside of a pyrex pan. Whatever extra you have can be melted and added into the bowl in the next step.

3. Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk together with the grated parmesan cheese and seasonings until thoroughly mixed.

4. Boil your spaghetti, then strain (or leftovers are fine, too).

5. Cook the baby spinach, then strain or squeeze dry (optional).

6. Pull apart the crab meat and chop or dice coarsely (optional).

7. Coarsely chop or dice the mozzarella cheese (optional).

8. Add spaghetti (and the other optional ingredients) into the egg and grated cheese bowl, and mix with your (clean) hands until everything is evenly distributed.

9. Pour the mixture into the buttered pyrex pan and spread it around so it is flat and evenly distributed.

10. Bake until you see butter bubbles coming up from the bottom of the pyrex, or until you can poke it with a toothpick and not have any slime or ooze come up when you remove the toothpick. Typically the edges will start to get some brown happening when it is finished, and the top of the pie will start to develop some dry, crispy, semi-burnt spaghetti bits.

Eggs cook pretty quickly, and that’s really all that needs to get cooked at this point. They’re probably halfway cooked anyway since the hot spaghetti likely hit the egg and started the cooking process already before the pyrex went into the oven. I’m thinking this is usually around 30-45 minutes for me, but I honestly never look at the time. It’s all eyeballs for me.

Once it’s finished cooking, take it out of the oven and let it set/rest for a while before cutting into squares/cubes.

In the meantime, you can make a nice dipping sauce out of some canned or jarred tomatoes, if you have them sitting around collecting dust. I like to use a small can of Contadina tomato sauce, hit it in a small sauté pan with some olive oil, spices, herbs and a bit of chili paste or chili flakes. You can pour it on top of your piece of pie, or dip into it with each bite.

Some people eat by hand, and others use a fork and knife.

It really all depends on the density and consistency of the final product. If you want a more dense pie, use fewer eggs and add in all of the goodies I suggested. If you want a fluffier pie, use more eggs and fewer extras.

Jerky, Product Reviews

Field Trip Jerky

December 12, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

My wife and I came across this jerky at the Columbus Circle Holiday Market the other day.

We sampled a few flavors and picked out our top three for purchase; they were offering three bags for $20. This seems to be pretty average pricing for jerky, which is expensive in general (especially for the good shit).