Umami Mart

Sonja just got back from a summer jaunt in Switzerland (where she spa-ed and dined like a princess, and consumed a lot of yogurt), and she brought me back a little gift: mayonnaise! It’s really scary how well some people know me.

The brand is Thomy, a condiment company based in Germany. The packaging for this “french style” mayonnaise is unreal- it comes in an aluminum tube, with a cute bubbly plus-sign cap.

A star-shaped opening- so cute!!!

Yamahomo saw this, grabbed a toothbrush and squeezed out the mayo like toothpaste. Makes perfect sense.

Gross.

How does it taste? Yamahomo said, “It’s not as good as kewpie, but not as bad as American mayo.” It’s got tang, that’s for sure, and it’s creamier than anything you’ll find here. Definitely reminds me of Europe, this mayo. Ooh la la.

PS- Check out this thread I found on a message board titled, “Why does German mayonnaise suck?” It’s quite hilarious.

Some food for thought from this week:

• Sacrifice your razor to shave the face of a pig, all in the name of making your own headcheese. Such a fantastic video! (via Amy, Fat is Flavor)

• What you will find in the fridges of 4 food activists/ purveyors. Remember Fridgin’ Out? I promise I’ll bring that back (via Amy, NY Times)

• Pigeon vs. Rotisserie (via Jenny, Failblog)

• A how-to video on making Beer Can Chicken. Amira says a can of Coke works well too! (via Amira, iFoods on Youtube)

• A San Francisco artist convenes monthly get-togethers with members of his club, Cook Here and Now, where they cook and eat together. It’s community building! (via Sara, Food & Wine)

*What did I miss? Email what you’re skimming these days to umamimart@gmail.com

This is great. My colleague Miho told me about it. The deal is, you sign up for an e-mail subscription that this farm, Nihon Yasai, sends every weekend, and order mixed vegetable box for $30 plus shipping, or you can get individual vegetables to be delivered on Thursday.

Daikon was 20 inches long, thicker than a butternut squash, and came with the leaves. Daikon leaves are the best part of it, saute it, pickle it, almost arugula-like and mustard-ish, peppery. Such a versatile vegetable, but it’s never available in the US.

Look at this. The box came with: Japanese eggplants (6), Japanese cucumbers (4), Japanese green peppers (bunch), mini tomato (so sweet, could be better than Sun Gold), Shungiku or Garland Chrysanthemum, Shiso, Tokyo scallion (very large version of scallion, a lot softer than regular scallion), Shishito (sweet green pepper), Fuki (Butterbur). All this for $30!

You can’t specify what’s in the box, so it’s like a surprise gift. I don’t think I will order every week, but this is definitely fun to do time to time.

As my move date gets closer, the pressure is on to EATNYC, and I’ve constructed a long list of restaurants that I will visit during my final weeks here. The Egyptian joint Kabab Cafe in Astoria, Queens, has been a dream destination for a long time, and a group of us went the other night and had ourselves a mindblowing feast for the senses.

No joke, this was one of the most memorable meals I have had in a long while.

I first heard this place on No Reservations (video clip here), and knew I had to go. Brains and innards- YESSS! There has been lots of heated online debates between Chowhounders and Yelpers about the validity of this place, but it’s important to eat and decide for yourself, right?

We were lucky enough to be seated right away- there were 5 of us, and the place literally holds only about 20 people.

They dust each plate with a myriad of spices, which according to Pete Meehan is sumac and the spice mix zaatar. Great attention to detail!

APPETIZERS

Lamb cheeks with poached egg. This was a highlight.

Meze platter with falafel, baba ghanoush (lots of garlic), a fava bean salad (a vinegary delight), sliced apples and FRIED LETTUCE!!! Awesome. We literally licked this plate clean.

Homemade grape leaves with cucumbers and apples.

Little fried sardines. Perfectly fried in fresh oil- a big hit at the table.

Sweetbreads– I’ve never had them baked, only fried. Really flavorful with red peppers, onions and basil.

Lamb BRAIN!!! Everyone was apprehensive about this, but I wasn’t going to leave without having tried it, at least. To everyone’s delight, it was fluffy and airy- it doesn’t actually taste like anything really, it’s not even gamey- it’s all about the texture. It was really fantastic.

SALADS

Roasted beet salad with onions. Still warm. Tart from the balsamic. An ace.

Artichoke heart salad with onions and red peppers. The artichoke was dense- almost potatoey. Peppered with requisite spices and fresh basil.

ENTREES

Roasted lamb chops with pomegranate sauce. A bit overcooked, but the sauce was so amazing- really tart, the perfect counterbalance to the gamey-ness of lamb.

Lots of fish on the menu. We got the grouper, which surprisingly tasted like a Thai dish with the limes. I even saw Chef Sayed add in oyster sauce before putting it in the oven. (I have to say here that the Chef is pretty international, in palette and language. His English was mixed with Italian, which made me wonder if he’d spent time there- especially since he used lots of ingredients that reminded me of the cuisine).

A light cheesecake, consisting of a few different cheeses including ricotta (don’t remember the others- farmer’s cheese?), drizzled with pomegranate sauce. The crust was nutty and smokey. YUM!

The famed chef, Ali El Sayed at work.

Seriously, were I to open up my own restaurant, it would be just like this. No servers, just me, a kitchen, a few helpers, a few tables, no menus, just calling out to customers from behind the counter, winking, telling them what to eat and how they should eat it. It was such an intimate eating experience where you really feel at one with the other diners and the chef himself.

I have done a lot of dining- high and low- and think I may have to put this in my top 5 meals of all time (French Laundry does not make the cut for me, I’ll discuss my top 5 at some other time though).

Next time, I’m getting the mountain oysters!

Kabab Cafe
25-12 Steinway Street at 25th Avenue
Astoria, Queens
T: 718.728.9858

The best ramen in the city (in my humble opinion) is only available on Wednesdays, and the restaurant only serves 30 bowls of it. This means you must get there right as the place opens at noon, and without any hesitation or shame, order as you’re still walking to the table. You will find that this is the method that all the veteran customers, especially the older Japanese businessmen, use to score this highly-coveted bowl of ramen.

Plus, there is nothing worse than when the server says, “Oh, I’m sorry but this table just ordered the last one,” as she points to the next table. This happened to us yesterday at Aburiya Kinnosuke, and I wanted to shoot myself. Or shoot them? It’s survival of the fittest.

For $13.50, you get a salad, bowl of ramen and a rice dish. Today it was beef over rice (gyu-don). The ramen is topped with a mound of slivered scallions- gorgeous!

The simple salt-based soup is simmered with scallops and pork (we think). True umami here- you will drink the soup until there is not nearly a drop left.

The noodles are bouncy and al dente. So easily slurpable, yet you don’t ever want it to ever end so you end up savoring each bite.

By the time we leave at 1pm, some bad news for ramenaholics.

Lesson: Get here at NOON! Do as my friend Jenny did today- cab it if you need to. Run, don’t walk, and order as you walk in.

Tsushima
141 E 47th Street
Between Lexington & 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10017
T: 212.207.1938

PS- this would be a good time to rewatch TAMPOPO.

Around town this week:

– Ferran Adria, Harold McGee and Corby Kummer talk shop at the NY Public Library: Friday 10/10 at 7pm. Sold out, but tix may be available at the door.

– 1st Annual Big Brooklyn Pig Roast: Friday 10/10, 6pm-10pm. A slew of local purveyors plus $1 Sixpoint brew before 7pm. ($32 advance)

– Gowanus Harvest Festival: Saturday 10/11, 11am-9pm. Celebrate autumn on the waterfront where all proceeds are donated to Just Foods. ($11 advance)

What’s going on in your neck of the woods? Email umamimart@gmail.com

Caroline and I made a version (via Ming Tsai’s recipe) of Ikan Bakar, a Malaysian/Indonesian dish, for dinner last week.

It was our first time cooking skate, although I’ve enjoyed it in Chinese and French preparations. It’s a really cheap fish ($5/lb at the Blue Moon stall in the Greenmarket on Wednesdays!), but offers good texture and flavor–it has very deilcate, flaky and moist flesh, with a slightly sweet and subtle taste.

While trying to decide the best way to prepare it, I found some horrifying, and intriguing YouTube videos of skate/stingray being butchered.

The dish we decided to make is often grilled by street hawkers, apparently, but we roasted it in the oven–essentially the same preparation as cooking fish en papillote or in foil.

Ming’s chili paste recipe called for shallots, lemongrass, chili/jalapeno peppers, limes, ginger, garlic, sugar, salt and Worcestershire sauce (seemed like a questionable addition, so we used some fish sauce and soy sauce instead). I’m sure an authentic rendition would have used belacan, the fermented shrimp paste that shows up in many Southeast Asian cuisines, and I’ve seen several that also use turmeric and coconut milk, which would add a nice richness to the sauce. Also, a ‘real’ food stall operator would probably opt for galangal instead of, or at least in addition to, regular ginger.

After mixing these ingredients in a food processor (the potentially-unappetizing pink color is courtesy of the two red jalapenos that I used, but I think adding some chili powder for color might not be a bad idea), you slather the skate with the resultant paste, then sauté some red onions, grill some eggplant slices, cut some fresh tomato, cook some jasmine or basmati rice, and assemble the ingredients on a banana leaf (make sure to fold the banana leaf over on itself at least twice, since just one layer will easily tear and rip) as follows:

– Layer of onions
– Layer of eggplant
-Ssmall mound of cooked rice
– Thai basil leaves
– Slices of tomato
– Skate wing, with chili paste and scallions on top (two medium wings, at a total of about 1.5 pounds, was enough to feed the two of us for dinner and lunch the next day)

After folding up the sides of the banana leaf packet (bought at the Key Foods here in Sunnyside, but available anywhere with Latino markets), pinning it shut with toothpicks, and baking for 20 minutes or so at 350-400 degrees, the result was aromatic and delicious (and pretty spicy–you may want to skimp on the whole jalapenos or consider seeding them if you’re cooking this for company or people who don’t like extremely spicy food).

Let me know in the comments section if you have any questions about how to make this, and enjoy!

By Matt Zuckerman
Photos by Matt Zuckerman and Barry Blanton

Jim Denevan went local. Several years ago, the chef and artist wanted to educate, entertain and feed his friends with a fresh meal. He did so by preparing and serving one on the very farm the food was grown and raised. From this, Outstanding in the Field was born – now a touring restaurant.

I was lucky enough to score a reservation to their recent dinner in East Hampton (and by lucky, I mean, I was on the Outstanding website precisely as the dinner was announced – they were completely booked within minutes).

For the last few years, Jim and his small crew have been traveling North America in an old bus, stopping along the way to serve up local meals. They setup their long table right in the middle of a farm, wrangle a local chef and concoct scrumptious meals.

My dinner was held at the East End Community Organic Farm, a co-op for local green thumbs. Our chef was Jason Weiner of the Parisian bistro Almond in Bridgehampton. The meal Jason put together, at his makeshift kitchen right beside the long table, included a bluefish escabeche with green zebra and sungold tomatoes; Whole roasted fluke with a warm mushroom vinaigrette; Crescent farm duck, corn succotash, tarragon and potatoes; And for dessert, peaches, goat yogurt, honey and almonds.

Each dish was prepared simple, which allowed the taste buds to enjoy the natural and fresh flavors (the way food is meant to be enjoyed). It all popped in a way that most meals just don’t. Can’t anymore.

The experience however ran much deeper than just the meal itself. It was a chance to see and understand where and what it was that you were eating. Sitting among the very vegetables that we consumed was only the half of it. To my left sat David of Open Minded Organics who farms the mushrooms we ate and beside him was Ian of Balsam Farm who grows the tomatoes. It was an education for the mind and senses.

As the sun set in a beautiful mirage of oranges and reds, we sipped our wine and reflected, it was hard not to think that this is how food ought to be served: local.

Jim Deneven

*Editor’s note: Matt Zuckerman is the co-founder of BZ Films, a film production company specializing in anything from commercials and music videos, to sports clips and documentaries. He recently traveled to Haiti where he shot a documentary on the epic damages brought upon by the Summer’s tropical storms.

Funny how some weeks I have nothing to share with you, and some- like this week- I have a ton of reading for you. I gave you a day off last week, now, it’s back to the books:

• Bartering pints for eggs in the UK? Let’s make it happen on this side of the pond (via Sara, Trend Central)

• Tom Colicchio’s new restaurant venture is so ludicrous it’s genius. Let’s watch and see the lengths Gael Greene will go to for a reservation to this one. (via Jud-san, NYT Diner’s Journal)

• The best (or only) carne asada fries in San Francisco (Silicon Valley Bachelor)

• Young folks are increasingly working and starting their own farms- like Awesome Farms! (via Amy T., WNYC)

• An excellent video on the farm fresh, organic movement and elitism: the Executive Director of Slow Food debunks the myth (via Radhika, FORA.tv)

• How a dairy farmer turned manure to fuel- now this is TRUE INNOVATION (FORA.tv)

• A step-by-step guide to using the gorgeous Chemex coffee brewer (Oishii Eats)

• Andy Warhol eating a burger: no gimmicks, just him, eating a burger. Wait for the moment when he takes off the bun, squeezes the burger together and dips into ketchup. I truly love this man. (via Andy G., Youtube)

*What did I miss? Email what you’re skimming these days to umamimart@gmail.com

Preface: Umamiventure #12: Sheepshead Bay, Pt. 1 (Jordan’s Lobster Dock)

On the morning of our trek out to Jordan’s Lobster Dock, I was cruising the net and happened upon ravings of another seafood shack in Sheepshead Bay, Randazzo’s Clam Bar.

Started in 1916 as a fish market, Randazzo’s has built their reputation on fresh seafood, deep fried and dipped in their famous marinara sauce. Can’t say no to that- we took detour back towards the train station and walked along the bay 15 minutes, prepping us for more eating. The walk had a real Miami vibe- literally:

Here are some thoughts on Randazzo’s, from the Umamiventure #12 crew:

Lori: Unfortunately, I was stuffed by the time we got to Randazzo’s. However, being the trooper that I am, I managed to eat some more. I tried the fried clams– again, not too flavorful, but the spicy marinara sauce improved the taste for me. They also had fried zucchini, which I thought were better than Jordan’s.

We also split a soft shelled crab sandwich which was my favorite of the day. The crab was full of meat and not overly fried. I thought Randazzo’s was a cool little setting– we sat outside and people watched like crazy – priceless. Clearly we weren’t in Manhattan anymore!

Tyson: I wasn’t blown away by their fried clams or the “famous hot sauce”—sauce was not spicy, clams were too insubstantial and doughy/bready.

Michelle: I was disappointed by the clam strips, but the soft shell crab was surprisingly meaty. Not sure I would go back there, though.

Amy: The clams at Randazzo’s were Lame. Tasted like frozen clam strips. Don’t bother.

Kayoko: The fried zucchini definitely rocked. Lightly breaded and moist. The soft shell crab was very good- again, lightly fried, not overly greasy, and I love the textures of the crab. It surprised me that the zucchini and crab were fried so excellently, and the clams were just these overbreaded globs of batter. Hardly any clams, and if there were, they were rubbery and near burnt.

And what is the deal with the Kraft products and Sheepshead Bay though, seriously? Agreed with Yamahomo: it’s pretty whack. I mean, if you’re gonna make the effort to perfect the marinara sauce, friggin go all the way with the rest of your sauces. Right?

In retrospect, we should have gotten the fried conch and calamari, which are supposed to be great. They are also known for their lobster. I’d definitely give it another go.

But the ambiance was awesome- we just sat on picnic tables out front, taking in the salty sea breeze, the boats, folks out taking a stroll in their Sunday best, and the hot muscle cars.

Randazzo’s Clam Bar
2017 Emmons Ave
Brooklyn, NY
T: 718.615.0010

Check out the photo album below for more pics. And read up on all past Umamiventures here.

Umamiventure #12: Sheepshead Bay