Umami Mart

Last week’s Umamiventure was to Jordan’s Lobster Dock, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. My friend Christine had told me about Jordan’s on Long Island, and after some vigorous online research, I found that the original Jordan’s had been in Sheepshead Bay since 1938. What’s fascinating is the lobster rolls are a very regionally specific creation. As […]

Went out to the Brooklyn pizza institution, Di Fara the other day with Jorge. I don’t want to go on and on about this (since there’s been so much written on the place), but seriously, it’s the best pizza I’ve ever had in the States, hands down. Frankly, it even beats out pizzas I’ve had […]

UMAMIVENTURE #12Jordan’s Lobster DockSheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NYSunday 9/21 Jordan’s has been around since 1938! Come out on Sunday for lobster rolls, steamed lobsters, raw and fried oysters, clam chowder and fried zucchini. You’re not going to make me eat alone, are you??? Lobster season is dwindling, so this is your last chance- please join me! […]

After spending cocktail hour at Botanica, we headed over to Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie around the corner- a definite stopover everyone should make while in Red Hook. I had run into Steve at last year’s Atlantic Antic, and over the years I’ve always ordered the pie at Brooklyn restaurants whenever it’s on the menu, […]

Zipped into Red Hook last weekend with Matt, Sepi and Amira for a little Fairway getaway. We stopped into a chic new bar, Botanica, which opened just a month or so ago. The day has finally arrived when you can get a fancy cocktail in Red Hook- there’s no turning back now! (Red Hook is […]

Sorry, a boring post without photos. Sucks, I know. Recently I got into a discussion with Kayoko about Yelp.com. I was surprised that she wasn’t an avid Yelper. I had recently been scouring through Yelp looking for out of town recommendations– where was the most popular taqueria in San Jose open past 10pm; is there […]

Preface:Umamiventure #11: Banh Mi Crawl, Pt. 1 (Ba Xuyen)Umamiventure #11: Banh Mi Crawl, Pt. 2 (Thanh Da)Umamiventure #11: Banh Mi Crawl, Pt. 3 (Tan Thanh)Umamiventure #11: Banh Mi Crawl, Pt. 4 (Rico’s Tacos-WTF?) View Larger MapPaystyle: Overall I thought Ba Xuyen was in a class of its own–no comparison. It’s one of those places where […]

Preface:Umamiventure #11: Banh Mi Crawl, Pt. 1 (Ba Xuyen)Umamiventure #11: Banh Mi Crawl, Pt. 2 (Thanh Da)Umamiventure #11: Banh Mi Crawl, Pt. 3 (Tan Thanh) When I wrote Porkchop Express asking him for his personal recommendation for banh mis in Sunset Park, he suggested to make a detour to Rico’s Tacos for a torta. Still […]

Preface:Umamiventure #11: Banh Mi Crawl, Pt. 1 (Ba Xuyen)Umamiventure #11: Banh Mi Crawl, Pt. 2 (Thanh Da) Judson: Tan Thanh was unsatisfying for multiple reasons: the bread was old and crumbly, and the “lunchmeat” ingredients were second rate Oscar Meyer. Payman: Strange but everything they served seemed to be the #1 combo, even if you […]

Preface: Umamiventure #11: Banh Mi Crawl, Pt. 1 (Ba Xuyen) Kayoko: They added ground bbq pork here in their combo #1, which added a nice sweetness cut by the ass-kicking jalapeño. A very well-formulated, balanced sandwich. Michelle: Thanh Da was pretty good, but felt a little less fresh as far as the ingredients. I thought […]