Umami Mart

En route to Coney Island this past weekend, I stopped over in Brighton Beach, which is filled with combination English/Cyrillic storefronts like this video/bookstore:

We decided to try Cafe Kashkar, an Uyghur place written about in the Village Voice and elsewhere. Surrounded by Russian restaurants and large, hilariously-stocked grocery stores like M&I International Foods, Kashkar is interesting because of its focus on Uyghur cuisine, the product of a Muslim people from the upper northwest reaches of China.

(As an aside: Xinxiang, the home province of the Uighurs, is apparently not the same thing as Xinxiang, a city in Hunan that I had thought was the source of the lamb skewers I’ve had on a great street cart in Flushing… still could be the case, but I’m not positive now.)

Anyways, Uyghur food, at least at Cafe Kashkar, hews closer to Central Asian fare than Chinese-inflected, as Eating in Translation has observed. Kashkar has a modest interior (the chairs were the ubiquitous cheap-Chinese-restaurant variety), but one enlivened by the extremely courteous proprietor, the babushka in the kitchen, and the oval windows between the kitchen and dining room that allowed us to watch the massive sparks from the grill–presumably as fat bubbled and dripped off of the delicious meats that are a hallmark of Central Asian cuisine. We sat in between men of indeterminate Slavic origin who, at one table, were downing six-packs of Heineken, and at the other, multiple shots of vodka.

On offer were various fresh and pickled salads, an intimidatingly large sausage curled up behind a glass case, an assortment of kebabs (aka shashliki), mutton-and-onion dumplings called manty, plov and a few kinds of noodles and soups (the lagman, which combined homemade noodles reminiscent of Fujianese hand-pulled variety, but with a rich red broth, chunks of stewed meat, herbs, and onions on top, looked particularly good).

We opted for the eggplant salad (sorry, didn’t get a photo of it), the manty, and some kebabs. The lamb rib kebabs were tasty, but had virtually no meat on them. The regular lamb kebabs were delicious (all the grilled meats come on massive, blade-tipped steel skewers), though.

The pot of green tea was excellent, too. It was brewed to a beautiful golden color (was it ti guan yin? The name of this variety is escaping me at the moment, but I’ve definitely had it before) and, contrary to my usual low expectations of ordering tea in restaurants, was actually hot enough when it arrived to get a good depth of flavor from the leaves. It’s served in cups that are more like saucers; they widen out around their edges (visualize an inverted sombrero) so that the tea cools and spreads out slightly as it hits your lips.

After a 25-minute wait, the manty (mutton dumplings) finally arrived–apparently, the previous batch had just run out and they had to make more from scratch (in Chinese fashion, according to the menu, you can buy them frozen in large batches). The manty were sided with a vinegary, slightly spicy tomato sauce that did a good job of cutting the grease of these tennis-ball sized orbs. Cooked with onion and herbs, the mutton inside was coarsely chopped and flavorful. The Heineken-guzzlers next to us ate a plate each in addition to a wheel of the naan-like bread, which seems inconceivable–two manty and I was finished eating for the day.

I recommend Cafe Kashkar for your next trip to Brighton Beach, and you can always go for a ride on the Cyclone afterwards to help you digest. It’s just a Q ride away!

Cafe Kashkar
1141 Brighton Beach Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11235

Little did we know when we walked into the Oyster Bar last night that it would be in the midst of a 3 week-long festival for fresh herring! I am reading now that the GCOB does this every year, to celebrate the first “nieuwe maatjes” herring of the season from the Netherlands.

The herring came on a plate sliced open, deboned and garnished with slivered chives, hard boiled egg and grated onions. We ordered two pieces, and I regret that I was not able to take a picture before we started eating (er, pigging out). But here is the last half-piece, with the tail and all.

I swear to you, this was like no other herring I have ever tried. All of us were astonished when we first took a bite. First of all, it’s not pickled- never have I had unpickled herring. It is totally raw, extremely fresh- SO GOOD!

It reminded me of Japanese style “aji no tataki” which is just raw chopped horse mackerel- so it’s pretty fishy, but very clean-tasting. Extremely delicious. And it was really interesting to eat this with the onions and egg- although I wouldn’t have minded some soy sauce. Ha- I’m so my mother’s daughter (Hideko practically carries soy sauce with her wherever she goes).

You’ve got a full meal with a side of their fries- my favorite in the city!

There is this funny wagon truck thing in the middle of the bar area and blue and orange flags hanging everywhere- they actually serve the herring from this wagon! It was pretty awesome.

If you are in NY and are a fish-lover, GO NOW! The herrings swim away on Friday June 20, so you’ve got a week before this festival ends. I hope to go again if you want to join me!

Grand Central Oyster Bar
Grand Central Terminal
212-490-6650

Born sinner, the opposite of a winner
Remember when I used to eat sardines for dinner
– Juicy, Notorious B.I.G.

So I finally opened this can of Moroccan sardines I bought from Kalustyan‘s ages ago. This can was only 99 cents! Can’t beat that. And they are quite good- I got them packed in “spicy oil”, which deterred some of the fishiness.
These are packed in vegetable oil, which is a bit heavy, but it’s not so bad. I recently tried a can of Bumblebee sardines packed in soybean oil which were also 99 cents, but SO BAD! I’m all about exploring the world of canned sardines, but I think I’m going to stay away from anything packed in soy.

I think I liked the can of Adriatic sardines that Vinka gave me better, the fish were a bit flakier I remember. But the subtle spiciness of these really won me over too.

(After three long months, my beautiful Nikon is back from the repair shop! Note: always use the camera strap, no matter how dorky you may look!!! Forgot how to use this camera though, sorry the pics aren’t great)

In this heat, it’s hard to work up an appetite, but you gotta eat, right? Just threw the sardines over some cold tofu as is and boiled string beans. Also shaved ginger on top. Nothing crazy, but a nice little meal to cool you down. I also had nearly a full bottle of rose to myself with this. Oops.

Check it out!

2008 NYC Food Film Festival

Watch the festival trailer here.

STARTS this WEEKEND!!

The Food Film Festival takes up residence at Water Taxi Beach for its second-annual celebration. The multi-sensory affair features six days of food-related short films, accompanied by samples of the delectable subjects. There’s also an opening night Cheesesteak Blowout, and a Pizza Night to be held at the legendary Grimaldi’s. For those with a more sensitive palate, Donna Lennard, owner of the Italian eatery Il Buco, presents an olive-oil tasting to complement the premiere of La Raccolta, a documentary about Italian growers and harvesters of the multipurpose fruit.

Sonja and I went to a party to launch a new line of trendy sakes. It was an expansive collection of really bad Asian stereotypes rolled into one event. There was even a KOTO player! How hilarious is that???

This above is an ICE SCULPTURE of the BUDDHA. Is it just me, or is this SO 80s??? We asked the party guy who guesstimated that it was at least $400. Oh, and you thought we were in a recession???

And here I thought the ice cubes at Hotel del Mano were impressive. Silly me.

Apparently, Buddha is now a 21st Century pop superstar! Let’s be real- JT’s got nothing on this guy. Although an ice sculpture of Justin would be AWESOME. Now, there’s a party I would go to.

Buddha vs. Justin: DANCE-OFF!

When work life gets really hectic, you often forget about the one thing that you really should be taking care of more: yourself. This weekend I shut down, and had some much-needed alone time- somehow, I managed not to even think about work. Instead, I took a nap or two and started reading Siddartha (I finished it too!!!). When’s the last time you read a book for pleasure?

It’s scorching here now in NY- yesterday must have gotten to at least 100, after the all-enveloping, dense humidity. I walked around all day ducking in and out of shops when the heat got too unbearable (read: every 3 minutes).

To cool down, I treated myself to a cocktail at one of my favorite bars in town, Hotel Del Mano. It’s a newer bar in Williamsburg, and is a romantic, prohibition-era infused bar (of course, it has no sign). The long marble bar in the front is seriously gorgeous, and they have more tables in the back in cozy candle-lit rooms.

What makes this place so great is their acute attention to detail, from anything from the brass fixtures in the bathroom to the ice cubes. The ceiling is frescoed in Giotto blue, and they have this rolling staircase running behind the bar to get to their high-reaching stash of liquor.

Bartenders, or “mixologists” are doing some awesome things with alcohol these days, using all sorts of exotic liquors, fruits, herbs and even eggs. But I like to keep it simple, and my summertime drink of choice is always a Campari Soda.

Campari is an Italian aperitif- a syrupy red, bitter, sweet, licorice-ish (say that out loud), very super concentrated liquor. I’m reading on Wiki that it’s comprised of 60 ingredients altogether, and the formula has been a secret since the 1860s (!).

For a more potent drink, pour about half a glass of Campari with ice cubes, and top it off with soda water, and it’s usually garnishes with an orange or lemon wedge. Here is mine at del Mano.

These ice cubes is the work of a true artist- they are perfectly square and fit right in these long narrow glasses. The lemon peel is also a pretty touch.

This here is the good life.

I look forward to taking time out more and doing this often all summer long. Don’t forget to treat yourself! And read more books (note to self).

Hotel del Mano
North 9th and Berry
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
NYC

Yesterday I attended a lovely First Friday Luncheon at the James Beard House prepared by Chef Mikey Price of Market Table in Greenwich Village. Price (formerly of The Mermaid Inn) and his friend Joey Campanaro (of the Little Owl) opened Market Table, a unique restaurant/market combo where you can purchase the same ingredients used in your meal in the same location. Take a look at what his delicious menu included- I think my favorite part was shoe string potatoes (see above!). The wine selection was perfect and refreshing- a colorful rosy array that went from a sparkling rose to a robust summery red.

Yesterday’s Menu:

Hors d’Oeuvre:

Fava Bean Crostini with Pecorino and Mint
Seared Beef Tenderloin with Roquefort and Red Wine
Truffled Arctic Char Tartare with Celery Root Chips
Seared Diver Scallops with Pickled Cucumber, Watermelon, and Chile
Served with a Juvé y Camps Cava Brut Rosé NV

Luncheon:

Chilled Corn Soup with Smoked Trout, Chives, and Crispy Shallots
Paired with a Château de Bonhoste Bordeaux Blanc Sec 2007

Crabcake Slider with Savoy Cabbage Slaw and Old Bay Shoestring Potatoes
Paired with a Casalone La Rosella 2004

Pan-Roasted Guinea Hen with Grilled Peaches, Arugula, and Warm Sherry–Bacon Vinaigrette
Paired with an A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir 2006

Bing Cherry Upside-Down Cake with Mascarpone Gelato and Red Wine–Thyme Syrup
Paired with a Uroulat Jurançon 2004



All photos copyright www.eringleeson.com

Market Table
54 Carmine St.
NYC
T: 212.255.2100

Mining the i n t e r n e t for stuff worth reading:

• Lobster Nikes- ridiculous awesomeness (Adam for Serious Eats)

• Make your own seasoned salts with garden herbs (Bitten)

• Fiddlehead ferns, and more, at Dan Barber’s Blue Hill in NYC (Zach for Serious Eats)

• Hokkaido’s black watermelon, Densuke, sold for $6000 (via Kottke, AP)

• The Wylie Dog at PDT in NYC- love me some Wylie (Wandering Eater)

I may have a great disdain for “brunch”, but I do love breakfast (although I shamefully skip it often). This week’s NY Mag dedicated to the art of the breakfast is extremely informative and fascinating. I suggest reading all the following articles- it will inspire you to get your breakfast on:

• Why even eat breakfast? Read about the mental/physical health benefits (or the illusions thereof) of having a proper breakfast.

• Organic vs. non-organic eggs: a taste test

• On how coffee can seriously FUCK YOU UP (but I can’t stop!)

I just found out that yesterday was National Donut Day! Here are some great posts on the donut:

• Sullivan Street Bakery’s bombolini- it would be worth the heart attack (Ed for Serious Eats)

• Anthony Bourdain visits Voodoo Donuts in Portland for their famed BACON DONUT (Robyn for Serious Eats)

• And of course, this stunning portrait of Japan’s donut by Andy G (UM)

*It’s lamentable that I didn’t know about National Donut Day! Please don’t be shy and send links to what you’re skimming to umamimart@gmail.com

I finally gave in and bought the Tokyo Michelin Guide. Luckily, I was able to come across the English version with no problem.

Tokyo was awarded a total of 191 stars earning the crown, by far, for best place to eat in the world according to Michelin (compared to the second: Paris with 65 stars, and third: New York with 54 stars). The majority of featured restaurants are Japanese and not surprisingly, French. I have always been intrigued by the apparent love affair between Japan and France – especially in cuisine. The Tokyo version of the Michelin Guide seems to be a very tight tie in the knot making this love affair into a marriage. In fact, I expect more French people visiting Tokyo from this guide alone and perhaps vice-versa.

After reviewing the entire book, I discovered that I had been to only one of these restaurants (the reason being most restaurants in the book will set you back $150 to $400 for dinner, at least), Ukai-tei in Ginza (on work tab, of course). It was, as expected, fabulous and perfect. My lone crab leg meat entree was eaten with a knife and fork like a steak. And then we were escorted to a separate room for dessert. Perfectly dressed servers showing off insane jewel like pastries and cakes atop sparking gold platter carts. So yeah, it was great, but for that price, wouldn’t you expect it?

That is my skepticism with the Michelin Guide, although pampering yourself with perfection is sometimes wonderful, it’s just “wonderful.” You expect that you are going to have the best and that expectation is fulfilled. So given that Tokyo is a city swarming with loaded folks who want perfection every night, I am not surprised that the Michelin Guide people awarded 191 stars. Tokyo deserves all 191.

But for a real relevation – try going to a tiny restaurant hidden in the side streets of less glitzy-glam areas where a husband-wife team gleams pride serving you their best sashimi of the day. Or a small bar where a young 30 year old is meticulously fusing all types of food, crushing ice by hand and following his dream. After all, that’s why Umami Mart exists right?!

On the subject of south asian/central asian/middle eastern cuisine, Tmonkey’s Nice & Spicey post reminded me that for the first time ever, I had Afghani food a few weeks ago in San Jose (Sunnyvale, if you want to be specific).

I had never thought to check out this mysterious little place called Afghani House- which is literally right next to one of my favorite restaurants in SJ, the Fish Market. The shades are always drawn so it’s easy to pass up. It’s shameful that I never branch out and try new places when I’m visiting my hometown (er, I always go to the same places here too…)- I need to expand my horizons a bit, so this was a great choice.

Afghani House is pretty awesome. Ornate carpets hanging from the walls, little gold trinkets on shelves. The irony is that it seriously felt like I was at someone’s house, no joke. It was just really comfortable. The staff are all really sweet too- there’s this one guy there that looks exactly like Steve Martin, he was extremely deadpan, it was hilarious.

They have a pretty expansive menu so I didn’t really know where to start. Our server recommended the Qabili Palau (yes, I had to Wiki this), which she said was a popular Afghan dish. Lamb covered in rice, then dotted with raisins and slivered carrots. Really simple and cute- it looks like something Yayoi Kusama would have put together!

I’m trying to get into lamb so I’m ordering a lot of it lately. This was excellent- the lamb was moist and tender, hidden under a mound of rice, and the raisins added a subtle sweetness that is perfect with lamb. There’s also this parsley sauce that I drizzled over it which was garlicky excellence. Not sure I was supposed to do that, but I could not stop with this green stuff.

Andy got this chicken dish cooked with spinach, green peppers, onions and tomatoes. Comfort food! Stewed tomatoes are the best.

The meal was really hearty, huge portions, and the restaurant is welcoming in general- like I said, like you’re going to someone’s house. I love that.

I couldn’t stop staring at the next table that got kebab- I’m totes ordering that next time, it looked so good.

Afghani House
1103 E El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA
T: 408.248.5087