Porchetta Round Up

Porchetta is a place you want to love. Its a teeny, much hyped eatery that unabashedly worships the pig. But the prices are a little steep in comparison to what you get. You would think that the more you pay, the better the value- the opposite hold true.

My choice for best value is the $5 crispy potatoes and burnt ends, the potatoes are indeed crispy and surrounded by the most delicious pork bites.
The porchetta sandwich comes with a lot more meat, but a lot of it is difficult to eat. The fat is too chewy and parts of the skin are impossible to chew. Don't get me wrong, put this sandwich in front of me and I will happily eat it down. I am just hesitant to spend the $9 on it. Maybe $7 would be ok.

Before trying the sandwich, I was mesmerized by the glistening skin on top of the pork behind the counter and the jovial employee gave me a square. It looked like a bite sized piece of pure fat heaven but fell quite short of that once in my mouth. There was some solid flavor going on but it was like eating pork flavored glass; not what I was expecting.

In last place comes the porchetta platter. While it was moist and well seasoned, the portion did not justify the $14 price tag. The sides of greens and beans were tasty, but reminded me of something I had just made in my own kitchen.

My advice is to seek Porchetta out for a snack of the crispy potatoes and burnt ends and mosey on across the street to cutsey Butter Lane for a cupcake. I got a banana bread cupcake with french chocolate icing. Proof of my approval= licking the frosting off the wax paper that wrapped it while on the subway and not caring who saw.

Porchetta 110 E 7th St

(between 1st Ave & Avenue A)

Butter Lane 123 E 7th St

Ok... I ate a piece of burnt ends along with the cupcake and really liked them together. Is that weird?

Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches

Nicky's Banh mi were the perfect quick bite last week. I tried half of the chicken($5) and half of the pork chop ($5.50). The pork was a bit better than the chicken, but both were well seasoned. The standard banh mi veggies (carrots, cukes) were fresh but were segregated to one side of the sandwich with the meat of the other, I would prefer a mix of both throughout instead. I know these cost a lot less in Chinatown, but we were in this neighborhood. It took longer for the sandwich to toast than it did for me to consume it, but for what we were looking for (quick, cheap, healthy something to fill the belly), it served its purpose.

150 E 2nd St

Smith's Chicken Dinner for 2 Deal

My friends and I were having a get together on a Monday night. With restaurants losing business in this economy many have proposed amazing deals to entice diners on off-nights. An article in New York Magazine led me to Smith's Monday/Tuesday night chicken dinner special- a meal for 2 people, $35 total (not each!). Perfect.

The decor in Smith's is modern and clean looking with a mirrored ceiling and lattice work defining the difference dining spaces. They have a bar in the back, booths in the middle, tables by the window, and outdoor seating. The lighting is low, which sets the mood but makes for terrible pictures...

There were 4 of us but we ordered 1 "chicken dinner" and some extras to maximize our variety. To start: onion ring appetizer($6) and fried burrata($4) from the bar menu. The onions were huge, not too greasy and its sauce had a nice kick to it. The fried burrata is the perfect grown up version of mozzarella sticks. I could have eaten so many more than my one little sample.

This neon dish is ramp risotto with mushrooms and preserved lemons, a crazy combination with flavors that worked well together, though the risotto could have been cooked to a better consistency.

The chicken dinner came with a large salad full of fresh veggies that was brought out with the rest of our appetizers. Our chicken was served on a hot skillet; its skin crackled and the white meat was juicy. This is not something I could easily replicate at home. The sides of earthy mushrooms and rich polenta were equally satisfying.

And yet there is more, a dessert of chocolate mousse with pistachios also comes with the dinner deal. The mousse is neither too light nor too dense, and the salt of the pistachios brings out the chocolate flavor while adding a crunch. It was a large enough serving that we all got to end our meal with many spoonfuls of sweetness. We loved the long spoons and the freezing cold bowls they came with.

Lets recap: fresh salad, two delicious sides, a perfectly roasted chicken, and a chocolatey dessert for $35. This is a deal worth going out for on a Monday/Tuesday night.


79 MacDougal St

La Nacional: yay paella

Table for 8 early on a Saturday night without a reservation? No problem.

La Nacional is a family favorite for solid Spanish food that won't break the bank. It is associated with La Sociedad Benefica Espanola de Socorros Mutuos, a Spanish Society founded in the 1860's, which occupies the building above. The basement dining area, complete with Christmas lights and paintings, and its obscure entrance have just the right amount of diviness to enhance the charm.



Head down the stairs and though the hall to get to the dining room.


Immediately order a pitcher of sangria. And enjoy the olives and breads brought to your table.

Appetizers are split into two sections, hot and cold. The chorizo appetizer($8) is an easy choice, cannot go wrong there. Look at that spicy oil deliciousness and do not be afraid to dip your bread in it.

Other hot appetizer options that also delivered the flavor along with being properly tender: pulpo (octopus,$9) and calamares a la plancha (grilled squid, $9). You will probably also want to dip your bread into the squid's sauce.

And for the main attraction- paella. The staff is good about calculating serving size based on the number of people in your party. Though we all agreed the quality was slightly better a few years ago, this is still a great dish. The seafood tasted fresh and the rice was full of real flavor that comes from being cooked with so many yummy things.

There are shrimp, mussels, cockles, chicken, and peas in the version we selected (paella de la casa).
Here are some close up shots if you are into seafood.
And a shot of that essential rice crusting.

Past visits while the owner was around resulted in free glasses in sherry and some great tips on traveling in Spain.
The food plus the relaxed,unexpected environment is the perfect place for a group to have great conversation over pitchers of sangria and sufficiently authentic Spanish dishes. And if you don't have great conversation, get new friends.

239 W 14th St

Free Haagen-daz Success

Has it been a year already since the last time I cashed in on haagen daz bee friendly free ice cream deal? Had no problem and no real wait  getting my ice cream after work today at the Penn Station location. The honey bee flavor is a nice alternative to vanilla. The best part might have been the package of wildflower seeds they handed out to us. How adorable! Looking forward to planting them tomorrow, save the bees!

Work ya ham hocks!

Just received some lovely feedback from a commenter "porkchop" and the name instantly reminded me of the best youtube video evah. Please watch if you haven't yet experienced the joy.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KadvVzQIRu0

Ponty Bistro: early bird sick deal

I know its almost an impossible task, but if you get to the french-african influenced Ponty Bistro before 7:00 a 3 course meal is $20. Appetizer, entree, and dessert for twenty dollars! Any day of the week, this is for real people. Powerful martinis run $5. I made sure to take advantage of that.

I found out about this place through my mom, who is always right about everything. She recommended the mussels as the appetizer. They came in a rich broth with tomato and lemongrass.

The hanger steak entree was cooked to my liking, not at all bloody and with a great charred crust. The crispy side of potatoes also did not disappoint. I ordered the creme brulee and was pretty certain it would be forgettable.

Could a $20 prix fix really go 3 for 3 with spot on dishes? And yet they did.

The brulee had the right amount of sweetness and they even took the time to sprinkle on some powdered sugar and a strawberry. The space is filled with color and art and the big windows were kept open when the weather is nice. Our waitress was sweet; she there when we needed her and left us be when we didn't. This is an almost too good to believe deal up in here. So if you can bare the idea of dinner while the sun is still up, listen to my mom and get over there.

218 3rd Ave