Category Archives: Photography

Parked, Crowded, and Frozen

Went to Governor’s Island this past Sunday. While I had heard there was a food truck festival, Parked, this weekend, I didn’t make the connection that it was *this* Sunday when I went to check out the island.

The crowd

There were long lines to get onto the island, and then there were the long lines for each foodtruck

Bao Bing

Hey look, someone made a TW shaved ice foodtruck

Kelvin Natural Slush Co truck

The lines were long, but with such a hot, nice NY day, I decided to go for a slushee

Size of the cups

I’m sure there’s a joke somewhere in this photo of the “Slush Fund”

Large slushes

One was a ginger base with Pink Guava. The other was a half tea, half citrus base with White Peach and Vanilla ice cream. Both were good, but I think their choose your own base (from Ginger, Citrus, and Tea) is really confusing. Do I want Ginger, Citrus, or Tea? They all sound good in some ways.

Standard NY Hot Dog Cart line

The fact that there was an extremely long line for your average NY Hotdog cart amuses me. This shows that location is everything as this hotdog cart was merely outside (and nearby) the Parked Foodtruck event and drew a long line. Other foodcarts around the island (that I assume are there everyday) had some lines, but they were pretty short.

Brooklyn We Rain Hard

Got soaked at the Chromeo concert yesterday in the ‘burg. It was easy to get to from the L, but the weather kept the crowd small.

Concert Banner

Still props to Jelly & OSA for letting it actually happen. The one next week is going on, but I don’t care for the artists.

Kent Ave line

While the gates “opened” at 2pm, it actually opened around 3:30pm.

East River State Park - Concert Stage

The crowd seemed to pick up during the last two acts, Kid Sister & Chromeo. This photo is from earlier in the afternoon.

Telephoned

They did a number of cover-type songs.

The Suzan on the stage

As you can see, I was on the left side looking towards the stage. The stage itself was extremely exposed to the weather, and there were numerous times where the staff had to get towels, bags, etc to keep the electronics dry.

The Suzan

The lead singers of The Suzan. The band hung out in the crowd after their set and didn’t disappear the second their act was done.

Dodgeball

Towards the waterfront, there was apparently a dodgeball tournament while the bands were playing. Cool, I guess.

Charles Schumer

Introduced as a big fan of Chromeo, we have the Shumster on the stage. It’s cool that he wants the free BK shows to go on, and he announced the cancelled show (next week) will go on.

Kid Sister tearing it up on stage

I’m not familiar with Kid Sister, but apparently she is known in Chicagoland. The internets tells me she did a song with Kanye.

Kid Sister with some Chicago artist

I wasn’t able to catch his name, but here’s Kid Sister doing a bit with someone I assume is also from Chicagoland.

Fool's Gold

Ladies & Gentlemen, what you’re really here for. It’s the Fool’s Gold mascot in the crowd! Apparently all the acts in the free event are signed to Fool’s Gold.

Chromeo setup

It takes an army corps of peoples to set up for the 2 person act, Chromeo.

Dave 1 on the left, P-Thugg to the right

And Chromeo’s finally performing! Crap, security tells me I have to put away my camera?

Chromeo's dancers

I forget what they’re called. Chromettes?? No clue, but they came out for a song every so often.

Chromeo

And it’s getting dark… time to wrap up the concert.

While it rained and was pretty miserable moisture-wise (for me and my electronics), it was a great, free performance in NY.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea

More restaurant week goodness in NYC.

The lobby decor

The lobby had a bar area and two live musicians, including a pianist.

Paul Revere's Ride

The menu comes with details of the restaurant’s namesake

Merguez Sausage white pearl onion, sweet yellow corn, snow peas, dates

While this photo may appear to have large portions, it really was a small amount. This dish was flavor packed and the lamb sausage helped balance out the sweet corn.

Haricot Vert Salad grape heirloom tomatoes, goat cheese, slithered almonds basil, sherry vinaigrette

While not really, you would be forgiven if you mistook this for Asian stir-fry. I liked it, but it was a bit much on the 1 vegetable taking up 98% of the dish.

Watermelon Gazpacho

There wasn’t much to this gazpacho as it’s strength lies in its simplicity. It was refreshing and too easy to mistake for water.

“Famous” Pretzel Bread with Gruyere Cheese – home made whole grain mustard

I would recommend this appetizer. Simply amazing take on pretzel + bread. The bread has an amazing texture where it’s very solid and thick, yet it splits like butter. Normally bread is either thick and hard to chew or comes apart and has no heft. This bread strikes the balance perfectly and has melted Gruyere cheese! What more could you want?!

The starters

Here’s an overview shot, the homemade mustard is in the center flanked by butter triangles. Homemade mustard is an amazing indulgence.

Grilled Bavette Steak roasted radishes, fingerling potatoes, braised red cabbage, beef jus

Unfortunately, the steak was tough and took a while to chew. I guess I’m not surprised it was hard to chew since it was actually tough to cut up. Still, the flavor was enjoyable

Mascarpone Cheesecake huckleberry foam, huckleberry streusel, mixed berry compote, berry sauce

This loosely defined, modern cheesecake didn’t do it for me. The flavors were very heavy as is expected with American desserts. If it were just that, that wouldn’t have ruled this dish out. This dish felt very savory and burned (thanks to the crème brulé top). There were lots of hints of savory notes with sweet and it didn’t work out for me.

Almond Milk Panna Cotta with Sable Breton fresh strawberries, strawberry sorbet

Amazing panna cotta that was very refreshing in a manner that feels mellowing.

This restaurant was hands down amazing in presentation and quality of food. This was worth taking advantage of for restaurant week. The good news (bad news for your wallet) is that their Summer Restaurant Week has been extended through September 5th.

RTR

Restaurant week is a great chance to go to places that you wouldn’t go to normally. Case in point: The Russian Tea Room. This is a famous NY destination known for their decor.

The Russian Tea Room

I’m not quite sure what the name of this guy riding a rooster (?) is called. I do find it very amusing though.

The check-in

Sure in 2010 we may have to manually check-in to locations. Just wait until 2050 where every second of your life is livestreamed and you get points for walking down the street and other inane things.

Ground floor seating

There are 4 dining floors in this restaurant. On this day, only the 1st and 2nd floors were open for seating. The bathroom was located downstairs past the coat check and gift shop. (Yes, RTR has a gift shop, for all your gift shopping needs.)

Braised beef pirozhki

The pirozhki was good, but I had no idea what to expect to be honest. Pirozhki + sour cream was a good combo. Imagine a Chinese dumpling with sour cream, no wait, don’t..

Red short ribs broth with pickled red beets

This broth tasted very light, so I have to assume that it is healthy and good for you. Especially with all the beets and veggies.

Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad

A healthy salad, I don’t think it was a lot, but hey, it’s NYC. That is a $18 salad in front of you.

The ceiling lighting fixtures

These red ornaments reminded me of Christmas

Filet of Beef

The filet was good. Even though the cut didn’t come out Medium Rare as requested, I still enjoyed the tenderness and flavor of it. Not as filling as the RTR Cobb though.

RTR Cobb Salad

The grilled chicken cobb salad. This didn’t feel like a traditional cobb salad, but it had a lot of chicken and salad portions. I would just call it a chicken salad.

Traditional cheesecake

This cheesecake was nice and rich. Just like the starters (appetizers), there is no way that it is worth $18 by itself.

Giant Fabergé egg tree

This is the 2nd floor of the RTR. Pretty baller decor. In the background you’ll see a glass bear, which contains..

Glass bear fish tank

Inside it’s belly, you will see fish swimming around. This is an incredible sight, the whole 2nd floor is overdone in an eye-widening manner

Bear fish tank belly

The Russian Tea Room is an amazingly decorated place, but the food (and accordingly priced said food) is not it’s strongest point

Gratuitous Meat

What a hot, hot time to be in NY. With a record breaking heat wave over this 4th of July weekend, it was a good time to seek out some quality BBQ. Below are photos from the northern tip of Manhattan to the southern coast of Brooklyn.

Big Bob Gibson's Pulled Pork

This first shot is actually from the Big Apple BBQ, but it’s so delicious that I had to post it. Big Bob Gibson came all the way from Decatur, Alabama to make their signature pulled pork. After waiting in line, this was definitely worth it.

Nathan's Hotdogs

Next up is Nathan’s of Coney Island which needs no introduction. Pictured here is one Chili Dog & one Chili Cheese Dog with Onions. Both were messy and what you would expect from loaded up hot dogs. If I had gotten it with cheese & bacon, I’m sure the deliciousness would have been off the charts.

Bacon Cheese Fries

While hot dogs are supposed to be the main draw, I found the Bacon Cheese Fries to be the undeniably best tasting thing there. Perhaps if I had put bacon on the hot dogs, the match up between the hot dogs and fries would have been fair. Is it possible to have too much bacon? To give the fries some more credit, they were a thick, hearty cut that remained crispy even after being soaked in cheese for a while.

Dinosaur BBQ Swag Sampler

The very amazing Swag Sampler plate from Dinosaur BBQ is up next. The sample consisted of deviled eggs, spicy shrimp, wings, and fried green tomatoes. How amazing was this? After eating the simply decadent deviled eggs, fried green tomatoes, and wings, I tried the shrimp – and I never eat seafood (due to mild food allergies). I was so impressed by the first three that I had to see how well they could prepare the shrimp, but the shrimp let me down as there wasn’t much flavor to it.

Dinosaur BBQ Sauces

Does every BBQ joint get into selling sauce nowadays?

Ribs with sides

Pictured here are the fall-off-the-bone ribs with their Mac & Cheese and BBQ Fried Rice. Their ribs were simply amazing, and they didn’t need any sauce as they were already wonderfully flavored. After consuming the appetizers and nearly 3/4 rack of ribs, I wasn’t very impressed with their sides. I had ordered the BBQ Fried Rice, Mac & Cheese, Cole Slaw, and Pork & Beans. The sides were all as to be expected, but only the Mac & Cheese stood out to me. Perhaps I didn’t enjoy the sides since I was stuffed from the ribs? I ordered the BBQ Fried Rice since I admit, I was curious as to what it actually was.

Kojima @Uniqlo NY

Went to Uniqlo SoHo today, the line was insane. The checkout cashiers told me that people waited as much as 19 hours (overnight basically). While I would expect a big turnout for Kojima, I underestimated a city that has people wait at Apple stores for no reason than to get some publicity for their free time (see iPad launch).

Kojima signing things on the mezzanine

Uniqlo is an affordable Japanese clothing brand that carries everyday basics.

Kojima's surround

A closer shot of Kojima surrounded by press, staff, and security.

The signing event was Noon – 2pm. I was there during the first hour, but I don’t know how long he stayed at Uniqlo. From people in line I spoke to, you had to get in line before 9AM to stand a good chance of having your stuff signed.

Yes, he's in a clothing store

Autograph line on the ground floor

This line continued out the store, around the block (and around a few more blocks?). Uniqlo isn’t even the corner store, FYI

Kojima with a fan

He must be used to signing stuff and his rockstar status among gamers.

Retail display about MGS Peace Walker

There were a variety of MGS shirts on sale for just over $15. I liked the MGS designs, but I don’t necessarily like the “Peace Walker” logo on the backside

MGS T's for sale

Kojima himself was wearing one of the Uniqlo shirts that said “BIG BOSS.” I got one of those for myself, but I don’t know how often I would wear it out

Cardboard boxes don't get any better than this folks!

Gotta love being able to hide from super serious, genetically enhanced guards in a cardboard box

Event postcard

This event had great turnout as expected. Kojima has so many fans, and I’m glad that he was able to come out and promote MGS for the fans

Peter Luger

Peter Luger opened in 1887 Williamsburg. They are known for their Porterhouse steak cooked expertly. The menu is no frills and they are cash only (unless you are ballin’ with the official Peter Luger credit card that is totally unnecessary).

This post is going to be mostly pictures and will provide the goods.

Very simple, pick how many people the steak will feed

Hearty cut of bacon appetizer

The porterhouse tilted so that the juice flows to one end. This was very well cooked as you would expect

The plated meal: porterhouse, creamed spinach, German style potatoes

The ice cream sundae. The chocolate cow is a very nice touch

This is a NY institution that is worth the reservation.

2AM Cuisine

Some more low-res iPhone photos. I find myself carrying around my DSLR less and less to food places the longer I’ve been here. I hope to reverse that trend by shooting more photos in general.

First up is Crif Dogs, recommended by Lag.

Crif Dogs Counter

This place has an interesting menu. See the next photo below. Crif dogs is a great late night food binge place. Overpriced hotdogs are common throughout the city, I mean you can get a dozen hotdogs at the supermarket for the price of one hotdog at an establishment.

I won’t deny that hotdogs are delicious, but they are also nutritionally void. Without editorializing much more here, Crif Dogs were delicious and come with exotic toppings.

Crif Dogs Menu

I tried The Crif Dog and the Philly Tubesteak. Not a surprise, but adding cheese and onions to a hotdog made it VERY delicious.

Not shown in detail on the menu are The Crif Paks. It was explained to me that at each price point $10 and up, you get served whatever the kitchen wants to give you. And it will be a lot of food. This sounds like it would be good for the stoner demographic which I assume wants to eat a lot during odd hours. Note that The Crif Paks previously were called Stoner Paks.

The Crif Dog & Philly Tubesteak

Very delicious. There is a lemonade on the top left of the photo. The damage for this was $11 with tip.

Cheep's Falafel Pita

Continuing to walk around the St Marks Place, I found Cheep’s. Cheep’s has a $2 falafel pita which is worth it. Period.

It’s 4 freshly fried falafels with lettuce and white sauce. The pita is a good, large sized, and you can continue to add all sorts of veggies from their free salad bar into your pita. According to Yelp reviews, this place opened within the past week. In NY, being able to find something edible for $2 is amazing, let alone something this fresh, delicious, and large.

Burgers and Brunch

A place that can take on In-N-Out? Impossible you say?

While In-N-Out will always have their incredible Double Double (with onions), Five Guys has great burgers and better plain fries. In-N-Out’s animal style fries are another story.

Five Guys in Brooklyn Heights

There are various locations throughout the east coast.

Brooklyn Heights

Here is a view out of the front of the restaurant.

Five Guys Decor

The decor inside is somewhat similar to In-N-Out with a retro, red & white tile fast food theme.

Cheeseburger

This cheeseburger had a good heft to it, and the ingredients were noticeably fresh. Between this and In-N-Out, I would say both are good choices. I do cherish the thousand island sauce from In-N-Out as that’s what I’m accustomed to.

French Fries

Portion-wise, you get a lot of fries. One regular order of fries is enough for 2 or more people. Plus, they have free peanuts before you get your food.

Brunch at Alice's Tea Cup

Moving onto Manhattan, this was a nice brunch from a small tea house. The food was prepared well and I think it shows.

Poached eggs on ham & cheese scones with Potato-chicken hash

Martin, how does this compare to your eggs benedict? I’m sure both meals can stand up to a food challenge. What struck me as amazing is that the potato-chicken hash is so homogeneous. The chicken pieces and potato bits looked nearly identical.

Mixed fresh fruit crepes

The crepe had an excellent texture to it, but I would consider this plate more of a snack or light meal. Not exactly your hearty American breakfast.