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Aug. 15th, 2008 12:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
malsperanzaI am a sucker for these stupid lists that circulate on LJ. Also, I am stuck at home waiting for a workman to show up.
Let's see. Bold is things I've eaten. Strikethrough is things I would not eat unless starving. Notes and recs added, as well as a bit of snark
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros rec: some no-name place in Washington Heights
4. Steak tartare rec: make it at home, grind it yourself, skip the raw egg, and get your beef from a reliable butcher
5. Crocodile I wouldn’t eat wild animals anymore. I’m cutting way back on eating animals of any kind
6. Black pudding rec: boudin noir at Mon Petit Cafe, NYC
7. Cheese fondue rec: no rec, stuff is nasty
8. Carp
9. Borscht rec: the hot borscht at the old Russian Tea Room, alas now of sainted memory
10. Baba ghanoush rec: Jerusalem falafel, 104th and Bway
11. Calamari rec: Da Calogero in Mondello, near Palermo
12. Pho Well, I’ve eaten lots of yat gaw mein, which is very similar. Can’t recall if I’ve eaten the Vietnamese or Korean version
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi I think so. Things don’t always have the same name but cauliflower curry without sauce? Yes, I’ve eaten that. rec:
15. Hot dog from a street cart rec: not a cart, but of course the answer is Gray’s Papaya on 72nd and Bway:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/two-hot-dogs-a-drink-and-a-nod-to-obama/
16. Epoisses Don’t think I’ve come across this cheese, but I love soft stinky cheeses, so I’ll look for it.
17. Black truffle rec: any restaurant around Parma in the fall
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes rec: not wine, but grappa made from blueberries, from Bassano del Grappa
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream rec: The Gelateria Ecologica in Milan is no more, so Fiocco di Neve, piazza Rotonda, Rome
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras Wouldn’t eat this again
24. Rice and beans rec: Malecon, Amsterdam at 98th St
25. Brawn, or head cheese rec: the Italian version, testa in cassetta (and who can resist the name?). If you call it souse, and buy it from one of these places, you won’t be sorry: http://www.boudinlink.com/
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper Wikipedia says this is the same as a habanero, so yes, I’ve eaten a raw one. Well, not a whole raw one.
27. Dulce de leche rec: Flor de Mayo, 101st and Bway (I am so glad they settled their labor dispute), but the diplomat pudding is even better
28. Oysters rec: Oyster po boy at Acme Oyster House, Louis Armstrong Airport, New Orleans. OK the oysters are just as good at the main Acme, but what could be better than eating really good food in an airport? Or a couple dozen raw at Casamento’s on Magazine St. Charbroiled oysters at Drago’s, in Metairie. I also still like Legal Seafood in Boston.
29. Baklava nasty stuff
30. Bagna cauda My friend Beppe’s house in Torre Pellice, above Turin. Or anywhere in Piedmont
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl Love clam chowder, but that bread bowl thing is just plain stupid But for good clam chowder without the bread nonsense, Grand Central Oyster Bar
33. Salted lassi Yum. I really like the Turkish version, ayran rec: on a hot day, in some town square in Anatolia, outside cafe under the dusty trees
34.Sauerkraut rec: make it at home in a crock. Or else go to Strasbourg. Or Le Strasbourgeoise in Paris
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar Well, a thin cigar. I used to sometimes smoke Schimmelpennicks, but the truth is I don’t really like cognac and I bagged the cigars when I got over my pretentious period
37. Clotted cream tea rec: The Maid of Honour, Kew, near London
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O only the once, blech. rec: stay away
39. Gumbo rec: Liuzza’s in New Orleans (not sure the main one is open again yet, but the one near the fairgrounds is), or else Dooky Chase if it’s open
40. Oxtail rec: osso buco in Milan at either the famous Antica Trattoria della Pesa, or the less-known Trattoria della Pesa on the other side of the city, and much less expensive. I have never figured out if there's any connection between the two places or not.
41. Curried goat rec: Used to be a Caribbean takeout place on 9th ave at about 38th St. Now I go to Golden Krust, which is a chain but excellent, also the meat pies
42. Whole insects I have a vague memory of buying a tin of preserved grasshoppers, but I think I bailed out on actually eating them rec:
43. Phaal Super-hot curry of some kind? rec:
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more 25 year old McKillop’s single-barrel, brought by a friend to a Burns Night dinner. It was delicious rec:
46. Fugu Sorry, but some things are just silly
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel rec: So many options. In New York: stir-fried Chinese eels at Shanghai Cafe, Spanish anguilitas at Solera, eel sushi at Yasuda, and eel hotpot at 456 Restaurant on East Broadway, except it doesn’t exist anymore, so I don’t know where to find Chinese eel casserole anymore. Alas, the Delicatessen Meyer in Chicago closed; they used to sell smoked eel, and so did Kuhn's but I don't think they have it anymore. Ditto the old German delis in Yorkville, all gone now.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut rec: get a real beignet at Cafe du Monde
50. Sea urchin rec: Da Calogero in Mondello, near Palermo, pulled straight from the water, dumped in a huge boiling pot, and then served in a giant bowl with spaghetti
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi pickled plums. Yes, that is, I’ve eaten a Chinese version, not sure if it’s the same
53. Abalone rec: Isn’t this a protected fish now? If not, then Old Fisherman’s Grotto, Cannery Row, Monterey, partly for the sunset and the sea otters
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal Never again though. I mean: I was 5
56. Spaetzle rec: Kaffeehaus, Neue Galerie, New York
57. Dirty gin martini Don’t know what this is
58. Beer above 8% ABV Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve had some strong beers, didn’t stop to measure the alcohol rec:
59. Poutine Never again. Whenever I think the US and UK have cornered the market on fatty disgusting fast food, I remember poutine and feel better
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads rec: Cafe des Artistes or River Cafe
63. Kaolin Huh? This is white clay, a key ingredient in making porcelain. Also Kaopectate, so yes, I have eaten the stuff, but feh.
64. Currywurst Never heard of it, sounds amazing
65. Durian rec: Durian Ice Cream at Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake All of these, except funnel cake. But I gotta say, beignets and churros are completely different from each other rec:
68. Haggis Hell will freeze over, because boiled lights and oatmeal is not an enticing combo. When it comes to Scottish food, stick to salmon, mussels, and cheeses
69. Fried plantain rec: Flor de Mayo, New York
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette rec: If you call it cervalet and buy it from someplace like Glat Mart in Brooklyn (because who could resist buying stuff from a place called Glat Mart?), then it's pretty good
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini rec: well, I’d go for the blintzes at B&H Dairy and the caviar someplace else, like Russian Vodka Room or (if someone else is paying) Petrossian
73. Louche absinthe Yep, though my best absinthe experience was killing a bottle from the 1920s that we found in the back of the liquor cabinet in the ancestral home of the parents of a friend in New Orleans. Totally hallucinogenic. Whatever they're putting in modern absinthe, it ain't the same
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill One word: parasites
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie I didn’t know about these. Personally I’d stick with the cupcake
78. Snail rec: Spaghetti con lumache, some no-name restaurant on the wharf, San Vito lo Capo, Sicily
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini rec: Harry’s Bar, natch
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict rec: Eggs Sardou at Brennan’s, New Orleans
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant Well, sort of. I have eaten at Le Bernardin (3 stars) and had a tasting menu at Daniel (2 stars), both on someone else’s nickel. Food was good, but the prices and all the hooha grossed me out. I wouldn’t do it again. I miss Lutèce though.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare I’ve eaten this at people’s houses, usually grilled or in a stew. The only time I had it in a restaurant was in Florence, at a nice neighborhood place called Al Tranvai in Pza Tasso, a very traditional Florentine dish called Pappardelle sulla lepre, which is flat ribbon pasta with a ragout sauce made with hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers rec: fried zucchini blossoms is way better than some froufrou nasturtiums-in-the-salad thing. Also: crystallized violets on the chocolate torte. Rose petal jam from the Persian grocery store.
89. Horse Pretty tasty, actually
90. Criollo chocolate rec: Jacques Torres, I guess
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab rec: soft-shell crab po boys at JazzFest or else plain ones at Casamento’s on Magazine St.
93. Rose harissa sounds great, though.
94. Catfish rec: New Orleans again, or rather, fried catfish and hush puppies at some no-name diner in Violet, LA, which probably isn’t there anymore, since Violet got flattened in Katrina
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox rec: Huh. Well, Russ & Daughters, or else the nova, eggs, and onions at Barney Greengrass
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta rec: grilled with sarde in saor at 2 or 3 fantastic places in Venice that I am not gonna share; or else baked and then grilled some place in the pre-Alps, like Osteria Jodo in Maser (where the Palladio villa is), or Trattoria Cardellino in Bassano, or that no-name trattoria in Casella d’Asolo, or the Agnello d’Oro in Bergamo or the Bottega del Vino in Verona
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
Things not on the list, but worth adding:
sciaccata dell’uva (any bakery in Tuscany in autumn)
salt cod (rec: baccala' at any small place in Venice or Padua or Treviso, baccala' mantecato from any deli in the Veneto, baccala' Portuguese style at Ocantino in Brixton, London, or baccala' Caribbean style at any little no-name Caribbean diner in Brooklyn, Queens, or Harlem)
tripe
hush puppies (cf Catfish, supr.)
Lardo con miele, which is the cured white fat of prosciutto with honey (rec: Taverna Morigi, Milan)
Let's see. Bold is things I've eaten. Strikethrough is things I would not eat unless starving. Notes and recs added, as well as a bit of snark
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros rec: some no-name place in Washington Heights
4. Steak tartare rec: make it at home, grind it yourself, skip the raw egg, and get your beef from a reliable butcher
6. Black pudding rec: boudin noir at Mon Petit Cafe, NYC
7. Cheese fondue rec: no rec, stuff is nasty
8. Carp
9. Borscht rec: the hot borscht at the old Russian Tea Room, alas now of sainted memory
10. Baba ghanoush rec: Jerusalem falafel, 104th and Bway
11. Calamari rec: Da Calogero in Mondello, near Palermo
12. Pho Well, I’ve eaten lots of yat gaw mein, which is very similar. Can’t recall if I’ve eaten the Vietnamese or Korean version
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi I think so. Things don’t always have the same name but cauliflower curry without sauce? Yes, I’ve eaten that. rec:
15. Hot dog from a street cart rec: not a cart, but of course the answer is Gray’s Papaya on 72nd and Bway:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/two-hot-dogs-a-drink-and-a-nod-to-obama/
16. Epoisses Don’t think I’ve come across this cheese, but I love soft stinky cheeses, so I’ll look for it.
17. Black truffle rec: any restaurant around Parma in the fall
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes rec: not wine, but grappa made from blueberries, from Bassano del Grappa
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream rec: The Gelateria Ecologica in Milan is no more, so Fiocco di Neve, piazza Rotonda, Rome
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
24. Rice and beans rec: Malecon, Amsterdam at 98th St
25. Brawn, or head cheese rec: the Italian version, testa in cassetta (and who can resist the name?). If you call it souse, and buy it from one of these places, you won’t be sorry: http://www.boudinlink.com/
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper Wikipedia says this is the same as a habanero, so yes, I’ve eaten a raw one. Well, not a whole raw one.
27. Dulce de leche rec: Flor de Mayo, 101st and Bway (I am so glad they settled their labor dispute), but the diplomat pudding is even better
28. Oysters rec: Oyster po boy at Acme Oyster House, Louis Armstrong Airport, New Orleans. OK the oysters are just as good at the main Acme, but what could be better than eating really good food in an airport? Or a couple dozen raw at Casamento’s on Magazine St. Charbroiled oysters at Drago’s, in Metairie. I also still like Legal Seafood in Boston.
29. Baklava nasty stuff
30. Bagna cauda My friend Beppe’s house in Torre Pellice, above Turin. Or anywhere in Piedmont
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl Love clam chowder, but that bread bowl thing is just plain stupid But for good clam chowder without the bread nonsense, Grand Central Oyster Bar
33. Salted lassi Yum. I really like the Turkish version, ayran rec: on a hot day, in some town square in Anatolia, outside cafe under the dusty trees
34.Sauerkraut rec: make it at home in a crock. Or else go to Strasbourg. Or Le Strasbourgeoise in Paris
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar Well, a thin cigar. I used to sometimes smoke Schimmelpennicks, but the truth is I don’t really like cognac and I bagged the cigars when I got over my pretentious period
37. Clotted cream tea rec: The Maid of Honour, Kew, near London
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O only the once, blech. rec: stay away
39. Gumbo rec: Liuzza’s in New Orleans (not sure the main one is open again yet, but the one near the fairgrounds is), or else Dooky Chase if it’s open
40. Oxtail rec: osso buco in Milan at either the famous Antica Trattoria della Pesa, or the less-known Trattoria della Pesa on the other side of the city, and much less expensive. I have never figured out if there's any connection between the two places or not.
41. Curried goat rec: Used to be a Caribbean takeout place on 9th ave at about 38th St. Now I go to Golden Krust, which is a chain but excellent, also the meat pies
42. Whole insects I have a vague memory of buying a tin of preserved grasshoppers, but I think I bailed out on actually eating them rec:
43. Phaal Super-hot curry of some kind? rec:
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more 25 year old McKillop’s single-barrel, brought by a friend to a Burns Night dinner. It was delicious rec:
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel rec: So many options. In New York: stir-fried Chinese eels at Shanghai Cafe, Spanish anguilitas at Solera, eel sushi at Yasuda, and eel hotpot at 456 Restaurant on East Broadway, except it doesn’t exist anymore, so I don’t know where to find Chinese eel casserole anymore. Alas, the Delicatessen Meyer in Chicago closed; they used to sell smoked eel, and so did Kuhn's but I don't think they have it anymore. Ditto the old German delis in Yorkville, all gone now.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut rec: get a real beignet at Cafe du Monde
50. Sea urchin rec: Da Calogero in Mondello, near Palermo, pulled straight from the water, dumped in a huge boiling pot, and then served in a giant bowl with spaghetti
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi pickled plums. Yes, that is, I’ve eaten a Chinese version, not sure if it’s the same
53. Abalone rec: Isn’t this a protected fish now? If not, then Old Fisherman’s Grotto, Cannery Row, Monterey, partly for the sunset and the sea otters
54. Paneer
56. Spaetzle rec: Kaffeehaus, Neue Galerie, New York
57. Dirty gin martini Don’t know what this is
58. Beer above 8% ABV Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve had some strong beers, didn’t stop to measure the alcohol rec:
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads rec: Cafe des Artistes or River Cafe
63. Kaolin Huh? This is white clay, a key ingredient in making porcelain. Also Kaopectate, so yes, I have eaten the stuff, but feh.
64. Currywurst Never heard of it, sounds amazing
65. Durian rec: Durian Ice Cream at Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake All of these, except funnel cake. But I gotta say, beignets and churros are completely different from each other rec:
69. Fried plantain rec: Flor de Mayo, New York
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette rec: If you call it cervalet and buy it from someplace like Glat Mart in Brooklyn (because who could resist buying stuff from a place called Glat Mart?), then it's pretty good
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini rec: well, I’d go for the blintzes at B&H Dairy and the caviar someplace else, like Russian Vodka Room or (if someone else is paying) Petrossian
73. Louche absinthe Yep, though my best absinthe experience was killing a bottle from the 1920s that we found in the back of the liquor cabinet in the ancestral home of the parents of a friend in New Orleans. Totally hallucinogenic. Whatever they're putting in modern absinthe, it ain't the same
74. Gjetost, or brunost
76. Baijiu
78. Snail rec: Spaghetti con lumache, some no-name restaurant on the wharf, San Vito lo Capo, Sicily
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini rec: Harry’s Bar, natch
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict rec: Eggs Sardou at Brennan’s, New Orleans
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant Well, sort of. I have eaten at Le Bernardin (3 stars) and had a tasting menu at Daniel (2 stars), both on someone else’s nickel. Food was good, but the prices and all the hooha grossed me out. I wouldn’t do it again. I miss Lutèce though.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare I’ve eaten this at people’s houses, usually grilled or in a stew. The only time I had it in a restaurant was in Florence, at a nice neighborhood place called Al Tranvai in Pza Tasso, a very traditional Florentine dish called Pappardelle sulla lepre, which is flat ribbon pasta with a ragout sauce made with hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers rec: fried zucchini blossoms is way better than some froufrou nasturtiums-in-the-salad thing. Also: crystallized violets on the chocolate torte. Rose petal jam from the Persian grocery store.
89. Horse Pretty tasty, actually
90. Criollo chocolate rec: Jacques Torres, I guess
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab rec: soft-shell crab po boys at JazzFest or else plain ones at Casamento’s on Magazine St.
93. Rose harissa sounds great, though.
94. Catfish rec: New Orleans again, or rather, fried catfish and hush puppies at some no-name diner in Violet, LA, which probably isn’t there anymore, since Violet got flattened in Katrina
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox rec: Huh. Well, Russ & Daughters, or else the nova, eggs, and onions at Barney Greengrass
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta rec: grilled with sarde in saor at 2 or 3 fantastic places in Venice that I am not gonna share; or else baked and then grilled some place in the pre-Alps, like Osteria Jodo in Maser (where the Palladio villa is), or Trattoria Cardellino in Bassano, or that no-name trattoria in Casella d’Asolo, or the Agnello d’Oro in Bergamo or the Bottega del Vino in Verona
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
Things not on the list, but worth adding:
sciaccata dell’uva (any bakery in Tuscany in autumn)
salt cod (rec: baccala' at any small place in Venice or Padua or Treviso, baccala' mantecato from any deli in the Veneto, baccala' Portuguese style at Ocantino in Brixton, London, or baccala' Caribbean style at any little no-name Caribbean diner in Brooklyn, Queens, or Harlem)
tripe
hush puppies (cf Catfish, supr.)
Lardo con miele, which is the cured white fat of prosciutto with honey (rec: Taverna Morigi, Milan)
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-15 05:22 pm (UTC)A dirty gin martini is a martini in which they've poured just a little bit of the brine from the olives. HUGE thing about oh, 7 or 8 years ago at the height of the whole new cocktail era. If the olive is sort of your favorite part you'd like it, and I have friends who swear by them. My rec for that would have been Quilty's, but it closed after 2001.
I'm surprised you haven't had pocky! It's junk food, but it's really pretty good, because the plain cooky of the stick balances the sweet coating—and there are savory ones, too, like tomato.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-15 06:20 pm (UTC)Thanks for the martini explanation. I am a total n00b when it comes to cocktails. I came up in the shot-and-a-beer-back school, and generally avoid mixed drinks except the occasional bloody mary on a hot summer morning. Definitely not a martini fan, but a friend once made them with caper berries, which was good. Or rather, I liked the caper berries, would have happily skipped the gin.
Spoonbread might be worth adding.
And for ribs I would have wanted to rec Caesar Collins on the southside of Chicago, except it closed a few years ago. Now I guess it would be Honky Tonk or Smoque in Chicago, though I grew up on Ribs n Bibs & still love it. For Midlands South Carolina mustard-base BBQ I'd go with Sweatman's in Holly Hill, Sikes in Columbia, or Hite's in Batesburg. I'm still looking for the definitive vinegar base SC BBQ. I ate some decent BBQ at Maurice Bessinger's Piggie Park, and the Bible study tracts at every table were amusing, not to mention the huge Confederate flag, bible quotes and "Buchanan for President" sign outside, but a) they stay open all week which is against the Rules, and b) there's that one tract that explains that black people are blessed to have been brought to America in slavery because it brought them to Jesus.
As for Texas? They use beef. No further comment needed.